{"id":2604633,"date":"2026-05-19T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-invites-rubio-comparisons-with-briefing-room-jokes\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T17:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:24:11","slug":"vance-invites-rubio-comparisons-with-briefing-room-jokes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-invites-rubio-comparisons-with-briefing-room-jokes\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance invites Rubio comparisons with briefing room jokes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvance-invites-rubio-comparisons-with-briefing-room-jokes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2604633&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>JD Vance filled in at the White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-extends-southern-california-stay-at-home-order-for-at-least-another-three-weeks\/\" title=\"Newsom Extends Southern California Stay-at-Home Order For at Least Another Three Weeks\">press briefing<\/a> while Karoline Leavitt was on maternity leave, taking a turn in front of reporters as part of a broader comparison to Marco Rubio\u2019s earlier performance. Vance-at one point denying he\u2019s angling to be a future candidate-gave a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >wide-ranging 50-minute update covering topics<\/a> such as fraud investigations, compensation for victims of a \u201cweaponized\u201d Justice Department, AI regulation, Iran negotiations, UK politics, Kurdistan, and China-linked electric cars, along with media-focused advice on how reporters should ask questions.<\/p>\n<p>The piece argues that the contrast between Vance and Rubio was stark: Rubio had more seasoned political experience and handled the room\u2019s chaos with easy humor,while Vance came across as more earnest and sometimes less fluid under pressure. There were also repeated, knowingly similar jokes between the two, including comments about using a cheat sheet and, if reporters asked multiple questions, guaranteeing he woudl answer only one.<\/p>\n<p>during Q&#038;A, Vance pushed back against a reporter\u2019s long analysis of Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bipartisan-group-of-lawmakers-call-for-hearing-into-robinhood-app-for-restricting-small-investors\/\" title=\"Bipartisan group of lawmakers call for hearing into Robinhood app for restricting small investors\">stock trades<\/a> by insisting on the nature of \u201cwhat a question\u201d should be, ultimately reiterating his stance that public-service facts shouldn\u2019t be used for stock trading. The article closes by noting how quickly Trump and major events can overshadow briefing-room appearances-citing Trump\u2019s actions and announcements that undercut Rubio\u2019s earlier coverage and highlighting why Leavitt typically schedules briefings on quieter days.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>When <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">JD Vance<\/a> took the podium in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" type=\"category\" id=\"125\">White House<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-senate-republicans-pile-on-pressure-to-approve-2k-stimulus-payments\/\" title=\"... Trump, Senate Republicans pile on pressure to approve K stimulus payments\">briefing room<\/a> on Tuesday, he wasn\u2019t just standing in for press secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karoline-leavitt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11685\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a>, who is on maternity leave.<\/p>\n<p>He was the second of two presidential hopefuls to audition in front of the assembled White House press corps.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4573940\/vance-press-briefing-stage-trump-explainer-in-chief\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance takes briefing room stage despite risks of being Trump\u2019s explainer-in-chief<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4572316\/odd-origins-humans-first-ai-campaign\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>From effective altruists to MAGA: The odd origins of Humans First\u2019s AI campaign<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4570167\/white-house-report-card-trump-china-trip-worries-home\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>White House report card: Trump\u2019s China excursion can\u2019t mask worries at home<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The vice president was ready with his denial when a reporter hinted at the shadow campaign underway.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not a potential future candidate, I\u2019m a vice president, and I really like my job, and I\u2019m going to try to do as good of a job as I can,\u201d Vance said.<\/p>\n<p>No one believed him, which is as close as you can get to a formal qualification for standing at the lectern in the briefing room.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Vance ran through his wide-ranging brief for 50 minutes. He updated reporters on his work chasing fraud, the new fund to compensate victims of a weaponized Justice Department, his thoughts on AI and its regulations, the latest in the Iran talks (such as they are), the United Kingdom\u2019s politics, Kurdistan, electric cars from China and, this being a figure known for a pugilistic approach to the media, a seminar on how reporters should be asking their questions.<\/p>\n<p>None of that matters as much as the straight comparison. Was he better or worse than <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/\">Marco Rubio, who stood in the same place two weeks earlier<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u2019t help that he cracked the same jokes.<\/p>\n<p>As he opened the floor to questions, he mentioned that he had a cheat sheet so he would know which reporters to call on.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President JD Vance points to a question as he speaks to reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAnd more importantly, who not to call on,\u201d he said to groans, much as Rubio had done two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n<p>When a reporter announced they planned to ask two questions, Vance stepped in just as his rival did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you ask two questions, I can only guarantee I\u2019ll answer one,\u201d Vance said. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m a politician. Maybe I won\u2019t even answer one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two had obviously compared notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarco\u2019s right, this really is chaos,\u201d he said as hands shot up in front of him, and dozens of voices implored the vice president to look in their direction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou guys have got to behave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The contrast was clear. Rubio has an extra decade of political experience. He navigated the chaos with an easy humor, nodding along at the absurdity of the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Journalists stood three deep in the aisles for the secretary of state. The excitement was palpable at the prospect of a cameo from one of Washington\u2019s more likable characters, and reporters responded with their own lighthearted questions.<\/p>\n<p>Vance is a more earnest character. He has not been smoothed by the sandpaper of Washington just yet. There were pockets of space at the back of the room for latecomers to stand, and reporters tried to test him with the sort of incremental questions that even correspondents of inside baseball would balk at.<\/p>\n<p>Vance responded with a novel technique for the briefing room. He actually tried to answer the questions.<\/p>\n<p>When the <em>Independent\u2019s<\/em> Andrew Feinberg <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4574967\/jd-vance-tells-reporter-have-objectivity-trump\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4574967\/jd-vance-tells-reporter-have-objectivity-trump\/\">launched into a lengthy analysis<\/a> of Trump\u2019s stock market trades vis-a-vis his championing of certain businesses, the administration\u2019s position on members of Congress owning shares, with reference to what Vance had said during his campaign in 2022, the vice president wasn\u2019t the only one irritated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s your question,\u201d one of the other journalists shouted.<\/p>\n<p>Vance hurried him along, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a hell of a question,\u201d he said, before launching into his own theory of journalism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to just observe there are different ways to ask a question,\u201d he began. \u201cYou could just ask a question, try to get your answer, or you could do like a speech where you say, you know, Mr. Vice President, you\u2019re a terrible human being, so is the president, so is the entire Cabinet, and \u2026 then your question is: How dare you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several journalists had to freeze their faces in thoughtful poses lest a snigger escaped their lips.<\/p>\n<p>His eventual answer, that no one should be using proprietary information gained from public service to buy and sell stocks, was a restatement of his existing position.<\/p>\n<p>He was gone not long after.<\/p>\n<p>It took the president less than two hours to walk all over Rubio\u2019s appearance in the briefing room, announcing a halt to Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz almost as soon as his secretary of state had announced it.<\/p>\n<p>Vance was stepped on before he even reached the podium. Trump invited the media up to the White House roof to see work on the ballroom and then announced his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4574393\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-ahead-texas-senate-primary-runoff\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4574393\/trump-endorses-ken-paxton-ahead-texas-senate-primary-runoff\/\">endorsement in the closely watched Republican Senate race<\/a> an hour before Vance started speaking.<\/p>\n<p>It was a reminder that Trump is the headline-maker-in-chief.<\/p>\n<p>And a reminder of why Leavitt schedules her briefings for days when the president has no public events.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><em>You are reading\u00a0a bonus edition of<\/em> Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#6a190f09180f1e192a1d0b190203040d1e05040f120b0703040f1844090507\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"d2a1b7b1a0b7a6a192a5b3a1babbbcb5a6bdbcb7aab3bfbbbcb7a0fcb1bdbf\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestion<\/em><\/strong><em><strong>s. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JD Vance filled in for Karoline Leavitt and faced the White House press corps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2604634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/vance-sketch-e1779219313160.jpg?1779204865&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[52516,14192,79949,5438,15469],"class_list":["post-2604633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-briefing-room","tag-comparisons","tag-politics-humor","tag-rubio","tag-vance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/vance-sketch-e1779219313160.jpg?1779204865&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2604633"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2604637,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2604633\/revisions\/2604637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2604634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2604633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2604633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2604633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}