JD Vance’s Quiet Influence on the New MAGA Administration and His Honest Conversations with Trump

During a press conference in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed the media while Vice President JD Vance sat on a sofa, looking fatigued, as reporters bombarded them with questions about Gaza, Israel, and the Middle East.

This moment marked a shift for the vice president who had been busy over the weekend and on Monday making calls to rally support from his former Republican colleagues for some of President Trump’s controversial cabinet nominees.

Critics of Trump were already celebrating the uncertain fate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as the Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence.

But Vance went to work to move them through the process.  

He set the stage on January 29, warning Republicans on social media that rejecting Kennedy and Gabbard would have political consequences.

‘In their own way, both Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. represent parts of the new coalition in our party,’ he wrote on X. ‘To say they’re unwelcome in the cabinet is to insult those new voters.’

Behind the scenes the vice president was much more diplomatic.

Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment as spy boss has been controversial because she’s met Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and held controversial views about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

US President Donald J. Trump (L) and US Vice President JD Vance (R) during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Vance had only spent two years in the Senate before he was elected Vice President, but he had already built strong relationships with his Republican colleagues.

The vice president was focused on two senators in particular, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on the Senate Finance Committee and Sen. Todd Young of Indiana on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Vance patiently listened to all their concerns and talked through each one, as Kennedy and Gabbard answered all of their questions.

In a town of people who love to hear themselves talk, Republicans told DailyMail.com, Vance is unique for his ability to listen.

Gabbard and Kennedy, former Democrats, were mavericks in their party on some of the biggest issues facing the country, and their former colleagues united against them for joining the MAGA movement. 

Sen. Todd Young and Sen. Bill Cassidy were on the fence about supporting two of Trump’s more controversial nominees

US Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. departs at the conclusion of a Senate Finance Committee hearing

The vice president made the case that Trump deserved deference for who he wanted in his cabinet. 

‘You don’t have to agree with everything Bobby Kennedy has ever said, you don’t have to agree with everything that Tulsi Gabbard has ever said, you are meant to ask do they have the qualifications and the character to do this job,’ he explained in an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo.  

Vance’s efforts worked.

Sen. Todd Young announced just hours before the committee vote that he would support Gabbard and he specifically thanked Vance for his patience.

‘He was respectful, he listened a lot more than he talked, and he, frankly, seemed to be effective on his end in getting from me the sort of concessions that were required to get to a yes,’ he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Cassidy also thanked Vance for his efforts, as he finally agreed to vote for Kennedy.

‘I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel,’ he wrote on social media.

Both Gabbard and Kennedy still face a final confirmation vote in the Senate, but with Cassidy and Young on board, the vote is expected to go in their favor.  

Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, embraces an attendee following a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hugs his children after being sworn in as Secretary of Defense by Vice President JD Vance.

Republican Senators are impressed by Vance’s success and he has already earned the reputation of serving as an ‘honest broker’ and a ‘trusted voice’ in Congress, sources confirmed to DailyMail.com.

Part of being an ‘honest broker’ was Vance convincing Trump early-on of the hard truth that there was no way they could get former Rep. Matt Gaetz through the confirmation process for attorney general, after conversations with GOP senators. 

Few thought that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was going to make it through the grueling process, but Vance proved them wrong. 

The vice president stepped in to save the nomination at the last hour to break a tie even after former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his disapproval and voted no.

Vance arrived in the chamber to cast his vote and looked up at members of Hegseth’s family sitting in the gallery, holding their breath as they waited in overtime for the verdict.

‘What do you think of this Pete Hegseth guy?’ he joked, as he made his way over to cast his tie-breaking vote.

Vance describes his role as Trump’s vice president in football terms.

‘I sort of see my job as an all around player,’ he said in his interview with Bartiromo, describing his role in the administration as both ‘offense and defense.’

The vice president leaves next week for Europe to attend an Artificial Intelligence conference in Paris and the Munich Security Conference in Germany. 

Vice President JD Vance waves as he boards Air Force Two

US Vice President JD Vance gestures after President Donald Trump asked him to stand up during a press conference

During the press conference with Netanyahu, Trump spotted Vance seated in the front row and gave him a shoutout.

‘JD, please, vice president, stand up. He’s been doing a good job,’ Trump said as JD stood up with a wry grin.

‘He’s been working very hard on all things,’ Trump added.

Vance’s skills with his colleagues will be put to the test again, as Trump has put him in charge of negotiating a deal with TikTok to keep it online.

Republicans overwhelmingly supported the ban, signed by former President Biden last year.

Trump and Vance campaigned on keeping TikTok alive, and it will be up to the vice president to negotiate a solution.

For Vance, it’s all part of the job he signed up for.

‘It’s the coolest job i’ve ever had, and it’s an honor to serve,’ he said on Fox with a laugh. ‘I’m learning a lot.’