JD Vance Says Israel Losing US Public Opinion Battle

US Vice President JD Vance said on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast that Israel is "losing the public opinion battle" in the United States. He said that President Donald Trump has made similar comments publicly.

Vance warned against foreign interference during the interview, saying that while foreign governments often seek to shape US policy, the concern arises when American leaders allow outside influence to "affect their judgment." He discussed his recent diplomatic efforts and highlighted a specific push against his policies.

"There's a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that I was pursuing," Vance said regarding his negotiations with Iran. He emphasised his domestic priorities amid the diplomatic pushback.

"I represent Americans first, and that's the way that I've tried to do this job."

Targeted by Foreign Influence

Vance cited a Time Magazine report published on Monday that detailed the foreign influence campaign. He alleged a former Trump campaign staffer was paid by "certain elements within the Israeli government" to mount obsessive attacks against him.

The attacks aimed to derail his continuing negotiations with Iran. "They're attacking me obsessively, saying that we should not be negotiating with Iran," he said. Vance dismissed the criticisms forcefully during the podcast.

"Many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways. You know, my response to that is: 'Well, go to hell'. 'I'm going to do what I have to do for the American people,'" Vance said.

Vance asserted he knows "beyond a shadow of a doubt" that individuals within the Israeli government sought to shift US policy to sustain their military campaign.

Epstein Intelligence Ties

The interview shifted to historical intelligence matters. When asked about theories linking Jeffrey Epstein to Mossad, Vance replied, "Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America, Israel, or another country."

"He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence," Vance said.

Vance specified that Epstein seemed connected to "left of centre" elements of the Israeli deep state rather than right-of-centre politics. He also addressed the current administration's approach to the financier's legacy.

"If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein police, guilty. We did mishandle it, especially the communications of it," Vance said.

The US Justice Department released over 3 million pages in January 2026 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial.