VP Vance Is Press Secretary for the Day – What You Missed

Vice President JD Vance took the press secretary’s podium on Thursday in the first briefing since former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s departure from the Trump administration. 

There are few details known about who could possibly be Leavitt’s successor, but Vance took over the mantle and answered questions ranging from the Iran war to the economy.

“Major combat operations are currently not ongoing and they haven’t been ongoing in a very long time,” the vice president said regarding Iran. There have been recently strikes trades between the two countries, particularly after the Islamic Republic attempted to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

“You’ve got to stop shooting at commercial shipping,” he said, stressing that the Untied States is not actively communicating with Iran. 

“The reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping,” Vance added, noting that the Islamic Republic violated the Memorandum of Understanding from June. 

On the upcoming midterm elections, the vice president said that “you will see higher energy prices” and “there’s a lot that would go wrong if Democrats take control of the House or the Senate, or God forbid both.” 

He also touched on the recent agreement with Venezuela and the U.S. on oil, saying that it allows for oil companies to make a significant amount of money in South America and “actually sets us up to where the American people will directly receive some of the royalties as well.”

“So it’s good for Venezuelans, it’s good for anybody buying gas, and it’s good for the American taxpayer as well,” Vance said, calling it a “win-win.”

It’s unknown when the next press briefing will be, as the president also frequently takes questions from reporters. When Leavitt was on maternity leave earlier this summer, other high-profile Trump administration officials gave the briefing. 

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