Infighting over Iran found Megyn Kelly talking about civil war and betrayal as her interview with Vice President J.D. Vance left him in the center of the feud.
As part of the media circuit for his new book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” Vance, reportedly with the full support of President Donald Trump, appeared on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Tuesday. During the lengthy discussion, the host with a history of being at odds with Trump prompted her guest for a statement to non-interventionists who feel “betrayed” by the administration’s actions in the Middle East.
“Let’s talk about what happened to the GOP base as a result of all this. Because it’s divided. I know you’ve experienced it yourself. I’ve experienced it too. It’s been sort of a sad, tumultuous, stressful time,” she contended, noting that, as opposed to the “fun” of right versus left, “it’s been kind of civil war-y over on the conservative team since this whole thing got launched. And the non-interventionalist right feels very betrayed by it. Whether you agree that they’ve been betrayed or not, Mr. Vice President, what do you say to those people?”
“Even if you disagree with this particular action, it’s completely ridiculous to pick up your marbles and go home…”
VP @JDVance on why the non-interventionists and the neocons mad over Iran should stay engaged in the Trump coalition.
Watch and download:… pic.twitter.com/BUVlOzSYbz
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) June 16, 2026
“What I’d say to them is, one, I think you can walk through all the ways in which this has led to a good place for the United States of America,” began Vance. “And I’d ask them not to view this purely through the filter — I know a lot of these folks are frustrated with the role that Israel has in all this. We can talk about that. But don’t look at it from the lens of what is it that different people think about it. What do you think about it?”
After Kelly opined about the opposition, he continued, “But I’m saying, ask yourself. I think you can make the best argument that the nuclear program is destroyed.”
Further remarking on the destruction of Iran’s military, Vance went on to say, “Even if you disagree with this particular action, it’s completely ridiculous to pick up your marbles and go home. That’s not how politics works.”
Having addressed the need for “people to be pushing back from inside the tent” on proposals by some to send ground forces to Iran, Kelly countered, “Okay. But wait. Some of us push back and then we’re told, and I quote, ‘Those who speak ill of Mark Levin are not MAGA.'”
“Well, the president, as he does, is pushing back at a criticism of yours that he thought was unfair,” said Vance. “I talked to him last night, and I said, ‘Mr. President, I’m going to go on Megyn Kelly’s show, and I’m going to defend the administration’s policies.’ And he said, ‘Absolutely. I love that.'”
“Great. Tell him he can do it next,” she added before going on to agree with the vice president about not walking away before making her case that “… [John] Podhoretz and Levin and all those guys — that’s the original Never Trump crew. They hated him. Hated him. I was there. I had those people come on my show saying, ‘Absolutely no. Never Trump.’ And then they embraced him like a bear hug just as soon as he decided he was going to attack Iran and was cozying up with Israel. And that’s their main issue. And now they’re starting to get a little wobbly. And I wonder whether the president sees maybe his new best friends aren’t quite as in love with him and loyal as he thought.”
Before wrapping up the topic and pivoting to whether it impacted Vance’s considerations for his own political future, he pushed for the importance of those with opposing viewpoints to make their case while reminding that the president is privy to more information “than any of his critics.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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