
JD Vance on the Morality of the Trump Administration
From Interesting Times by New York Times Opinion
June 18, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
JD Vance discusses the morality of the Trump administration and the implications of the Iran negotiations.
“If you think this is a bad deal, what is your alternative?” Critics of JD Vance think that his key role in the Iran negotiations may end up being an albatross around his neck. (“If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD,” President Trump said in France this week.) But in our conversation, the vice president seemed buoyant and eager to play the salesman, insisting that the deal is better than the pact President Barack Obama sealed in 2015. I asked him about his initial opposition to the war, his conflict with the pope and whether his political future is riding on the success of the Iran agreement. We also discussed Vance’s new book, “Communion,” about the vice president’s return to faith, and whether or not the Trump administration’s policies embody Christian values.
People in this episode
Host: Ross Douthat
Guest: JD Vance
Topics covered
- Trump administration
- Iran negotiations
- Christian values
- political future
- faith
Keywords
- JD Vance
- Trump administration
- Iran agreement
- Christian values
- Communion
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Communion
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