{"id":2616014,"date":"2026-06-19T07:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-iran-critics-pin-blame-on-vance\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T07:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:53:24","slug":"gop-iran-critics-pin-blame-on-vance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-iran-critics-pin-blame-on-vance\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Iran critics pin blame on Vance"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/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%2Fgop-iran-critics-pin-blame-on-vance%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=2616014&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>President Donald Trump made a joking remark suggesting Vice president JD Vance could be the scapegoat if Iran negotiations fail, but Republicans are criticizing Vance for supporting a contentious Iran deal. Vance&#8217;s involvement in the negotiations and ceasefire with Iran has led to criticism from figures like ben Shapiro and Lindsey Graham, who believe he has not served the president well. Some GOP critics, including Ted Cruz, suggest Trump might be receiving bad advice, while others imply political motives behind the attacks, especially with potential 2028 presidential contenders viewing Vance&#8217;s role as a strategic move. Vance dismissed concerns, insisting he\u2019s not worried about blame if the deal fails and calls Trump\u2019s joke about blaming Vance a mere joke. Not all Republicans agree, with John Cornyn asserting the criticism is serious and warning that Iran remains interested in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >developing nuclear weapons<\/a>. Vance emphasizes that any economic relief provided to Iran would not come from U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cruz-moves-to-take-taxpayer-money-from-iran-nuclear-deal-and-give-to-military-dogs\/\" title=\"Cruz Moves to Take Taxpayer Money from ... Nuclear Deal and Give to Military Dogs\">taxpayer funds<\/a> and that the negotiations are &#8220;performance-based.&#8221; Meanwhile, Democrats continue to blame Trump for the failure of negotiations, suggesting he lost the diplomatic war.  <\/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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> may have been \u201cjoking\u201d when he said Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> can be the fall guy if the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> deal falls through, but Republicans are not waiting to criticize him for its perceived shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vance has taken a political gamble by signing up to be the public face of a memorandum of understanding that Republicans already claim is a gift to Iran, giving away too much economic relief in exchange for yet-to-be-negotiated curbs on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pm-netanyahu-israel-will-not-allow-iran-to-obtain-a-nuclear-weapon\/\" title=\"PM Netanyahu: Israel will not allow ... to obtain a nuclear weapon\">nuclear program<\/a>. Rather than attack Trump directly, they are laying blame at the feet of Vance.<\/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\/white-house\/4615884\/trump-no-limits-power-iran-war\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says his power is unlimited after Iran war: \u2018There are no limits\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4615359\/tracker-notable-gifts-trump-world-leaders-second-term\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Tracker: Notable gifts Trump has received from world leaders during his second term<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4614990\/george-w-bush-michelle-obama-altoids\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Why George W Bush handed Altoids to Michelle Obama at her husband\u2019s presidential center opening<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn my opinion, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a> of the United States, the chief negotiator on this particular project, has not well served the president,\u201d commentator Ben Shapiro <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/2067331005355290826?s=20\">told<\/a> Fox News Wednesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"737\">Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC), a close Trump ally, has similarly named Vance in expressing his reservations, although he has softened his criticism since demanding that he brief Congress on the contents of a final deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flak is due, in part, to Vance\u2019s central role in winding down the Iran conflict. On top of embarking on a media blitz to defend the White House, he was also part of the negotiating team that reached a ceasefire with Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The criticism he is receiving, however, also continues a strategy many Republicans have adopted when they wish to break with the administration, but don\u2019t want to get on the wrong side of Trump himself: GOP critics from Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to Thom Tillis (R-NC) vaguely blame the president\u2019s advisers and suggest that their advice is misguided, rather than the decisions Trump makes with it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice on this deal,\u201d Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FoxNews\/status\/2067668709267677405?s=20\">said<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His would-be rivals for the 2028 nomination for president also know Vance is vulnerable if the deal goes sideways, and Vance\u2019s allies believe there could be political calculations behind the critiques. Cruz is among the Republicans thought to be considering a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-email-reportedly-names-kamala-harris-others-as-key-contacts-for-joint-venture-with-china-energy-co\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Email Reportedly Names Kamala Harris, Others as Key Contacts for &#039;Joint Venture&#039; With China Energy Co.\">presidential run<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is JD Vance\u2019s Iran deal,\u201d one Republican operative told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIf it succeeds, he goes into 2028 with the upper hand. But if it fails \u2014 and Iran uses the time to rebuild its nuclear program \u2014 the political consequences will fall on him, not Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think he\u2019s taking most of the hits because potential 2028 opponents are organizing the hits,\u201d Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a White House press briefing, Vance told reporters he was not \u201cat all\u201d concerned about being blamed for the Iran deal if it falls short in the eyes of the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he dismissed a quip Trump made on Wednesday calling that blame a \u201cgood idea\u201d as nothing more than a joke.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf it works out, I\u2019m going to take the credit. If it doesn\u2019t work out, I\u2019m blaming JD,\u201d Trump said at the G7 summit. \u201cYou better be careful, JD. He\u2019s going to turn his plane around and get the hell out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all Republicans think the president was poking fun at Vance, though. Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"965\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX), a Republican on the outs with Trump after losing his Senate primary last month, said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a joke.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cornyn responded in the affirmative when the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>asked whether Vance is susceptible to political repercussions concerning the Iran agreement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody should be under any illusion that [Iranian leaders] have lost interest in developing a nuclear weapon,\u201d he said. \u201cI think this is just intermission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Thursday\u2019s press briefing, Vance denied some of the most pointed criticism, emphasizing any economic relief Iran gets won\u2019t be with American taxpayer dollars, and that the agreement, which allows 60 days to hammer out the technical details, was \u201cperformance-based\u201d and not a giveaway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that when people get to understand not just the agreement but our negotiating posture as a country, they will realize this is an excellent thing for the American people,\u201d Vance told reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4613542\/dc-risks-trump-heavy-hand-election-socialist-mayor\/\"><strong>DC RISKS TRUMP\u2019S HEAVY HAND WITH ELECTION OF SOCIALIST MAYOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats, for their part, have shown no hesitation in blaming Trump for the war and the way it concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTrump lost the war,\u201d Sean Savett, one of former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"471\">Joe Biden<\/a>\u2019s National Security Council spokesmen, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump joked; GOP criticizes Vance over Iran deal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3326,"featured_media":2616015,"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\/06\/AP26169609165814.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7375,6203,3823,15469],"class_list":["post-2616014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-criticism","tag-gop","tag-iran","tag-vance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26169609165814.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616014","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\/3326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2616014"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2616018,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616014\/revisions\/2616018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2616015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2616014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2616014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2616014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}