Vice President JD Vance, who is considered a contender for the 2028 GOP presidential bid, on Wednesday delivered a speech to active-duty service members and aviators at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
In his speech, before Vance praised President Trump for the ongoing negotiations with Iran and told the troops that “allies and enemies are afraid of you,” he admitted that he was concerned about falling down the stairs in front of the troops “like the previous president.”
Vance claimed, “I’m trying to be nonpartisan,” and evoked “the old cartoon image of an angel on one shoulder” and the devil on the other. He said, “I’ve got the angel on my shoulder saying, JD, don’t be partisan…and then I’ve got the devil on my shoulder who wants to talk about every time that Joe Biden fell up or down the stairs.”
Vance: "I'm trying to be non-partisan…Because I'm speaking to all of you, our great patriots and service members, I've got the angel on my shoulder saying, 'JD, don't be partisan. Make this non-partisan.' And then I've got the devil on my shoulder who wants to talk about every… pic.twitter.com/iQrZ63NkTs
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) July 1, 2026
Vance claimed that “the media didn’t care about that but if I did it one time, if I did it one time, it would be a major major story.”
A handful of troops standing behind Vance were seen to laugh at the comment, while the majority remained silent.
More than one journalist criticized Vance’s speech, noting what they characterized as a tepid reception. Robert Lusetich replied, “Has any politician delivered more lines that have fallen flat?” Foreign policy journalist Lauren Rozen replied, “what an absolute jerk.”
[NOTE: The U.S. military and political leadership have both long discouraged partisan activity in military settings, as the armed forces are obligated to serve the Constitution and country rather than any political party, a bipartisan standard Vance himself acknowledged in his remarks about trying to be nonpartisan.]
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