Vice President Vance waded into the power tug-a-war between the courts and executive branch in an interview published earlier this week, warning that the courts should pull back or risk stepping on the will of the American people.

In a conversation about immigration enforcement with the New York Times's "Interesting Times" podcast, Vance said two principles core to the nation could slide into "real conflict" unless district courts "exercise a little bit more discretion" or the Supreme Court intervenes.

The first is that courts interpret the law, he said. The second is that the American people "decide how they're governed."

"That’s the fundamental small-d democratic principle that’s at the heart of the American project," Vance said. "I think that you are seeing, and I know this is inflammatory, but I think you are seeing an effort by the courts to quite literally overturn the will of the American people."

Taking a step back, the vice president clarified that it's "not most courts" contributing to the problem. But he questioned whether the Supreme Court understands its role in checking lower courts, in addition to the executive branch.

"I saw an interview with Chief Justice Roberts recently where he said the role of the court is to check the excesses of the executive," Vance........

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