JD Vance's antisemitism is showing - opinion

Careful, JD Vance. Your antisemitism is showing.Let me start by saying that I actually supported the memorandum of understanding with Iran. I said so publicly in op-eds and in major media outlets. So spare me the nonsense about being some operative of the Israeli government. I backed the deal as worth trying, even while believing Iran would likely violate it, because I believed that anything that might reduce immediate threats to American interests and Israeli security deserved a serious look. But, equally important, I also believed US President Donald Trump would do exactly what he said: if Iran cheated or broke the deal, America would respond with overwhelming military force. And that is exactly what we are witnessing right now.US Vice President JD Vance failed to sell the MoU, failed to close the deal or to manage the fallout, and here we go again. He blames the Jews, and it's hardly the first time. On Joe Rogan's podcast last Wednesday, Vance pointed to a recent Time magazine report and complained about a supposedly well-funded campaign run through Brad Parscale and tied to “elements” in Israel. He framed it as an effort to undermine the MoU and keep the military campaign going indefinitely. The implication was clear: shadowy outside forces, meaning Jewish or Israeli ones, were manipulating American opinion and derailing his chance to succeed.This is the oldest play from the most grotesque of books. When things go wrong, find the Jews. When public opposition mounts, call it a secret, well-funded cabal.The pro-Israel sector represents a tiny fraction of the money spent by lobbyists in Washington. According to OpenSecrets, the entire pro-Israel industry spent roughly $6.1 million on federal lobbying in 2025. That same year, total lobbying expenditures across all sectors reached a record $5.08 billion. Under Foreign Agents Registration Act disclosures tracked by OpenSecrets, Israel accounted for roughly $215 million in cumulative spending since 2016. That is around a 3% drop in the bucket compared to the $6.78 billion total from all foreign principals over the same period. Countries like China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have each outspent Israel substantially. Singling out one small player while ignoring the rest is not analysis. It is a tell.The opposition to the MoU was not some manufactured product of a few paid posts. It was a broad, organic reaction from Americans across the political spectrum who had watched Iran's record for decades. Public skepticism even among conservatives existed well before the details of the agreement emerged. Brad Parscale has not denied the contract but strongly denies it was used to undermine Trump, the MoU, or to prolong the war. He called the interpretation “completely false” and said anonymous officials were manufacturing a conflict. Americans are more sophisticated than Vance gives us credit for, but we made up our own minds, just as we always do.Vance's double standardsVance also took time on Rogan's show to dismiss concerns about his closeness to Tucker Carlson, calling it “ludicrous.” That is rich. Tucker's son, Buckley Carlson, served as deputy press secretary on Vance's White House team from early 2025 until this past spring. These are not distant or coincidental connections. They are documented professional and personal ties within the same political circle. Multiple reports have credited Tucker Carlson with playing an instrumental role in helping Vance secure the vice presidential nomination.But perhaps the most troubling and dangerous problem here is Vance's implication that American Jews are somehow less American than everyone else. That our opinions, our advocacy, or our support for a democratic ally must be filtered through some foreign loyalty test that does not apply to Irish Americans, Cuban Americans, Armenian Americans, or any other group with ties to their ancestral homelands. This double standard is not subtle. It is the classic dual-loyalty smear dressed up in modern language about “influence campaigns” and “well-funded” efforts. It has no place in the mouth of the vice president of the United States.Vance presents himself as a thoughtful populist concerned with American interests first. Yet when faced with adversity, he reaches all too quickly for the same tired explanations that have fueled antisemitic movements for generations. He treats a tiny minority as the hidden hand behind complex geopolitical setbacks, while real and larger threats continue to grow.Iran has a long record of breaking international agreements, as documented by multiple IAEA reports over the years. Radical Islamist and socialist ideologies continue to plague and challenge core American institutions and politics. Those are the forces that require sustained attention and pushback. Fixating instead on Israel and the Jews as the convenient explanation for every frustration is not leadership. It is bigoted scapegoating.This is not a question of policy disagreement. Reasonable people can debate the merits of any particular agreement with Iran. The issue is the pattern of rhetoric. When a vice president invokes well-funded Jewish or Israeli conspiracies to explain domestic political resistance, he crosses a line. It normalizes the idea that Jewish participation in American public life is inherently suspect. It tells young Americans that blaming Jews is an acceptable shortcut when your arguments fall short. And it signals that antisemitism, far from being a fringe prejudice, can be a useful political tool in the right circles.I voted for Trump three times. I do not regret it. I did so because I believed he understood the threats facing this country and was willing to confront them.I will not vote for JD Vance.Not because of one podcast appearance, but because that appearance mirrors past behavior that reveals a willingness to traffic in the very tropes that weaken our institutions and divide our people.