Vance steps into limelight on Iran war as Rubio lays low

Vice President Vance is taking a more forward-facing role and defending his past isolationist stances on foreign affairs as the war in Iran continues amid questions over his support for the operation. 

Vance appeared with President Trump in the Oval Office on Monday to launch an antifraud initiative spearheaded by the vice president. At the White House, Trump and Vance presented a united front amid questions over Vance’s stance on the war. It also saw a tense exchange with a reporter who questioned the former senator’s past, outspoken railing against the U.S. getting involved in foreign affairs.

Notably keeping a lower profile in recent days is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has become the face of the administration on foreign policy in Trump’s second term. He is notably not giving the next lawmaker briefing, with that being left to special envoy Steve Witkoff.

While Rubio was among the first to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the days after the start of the war, his remarks afterward contradicted Trump when it came to whether Israel forced the U.S.’s hand to attack Tehran.

It’s the latest in what could be seen as jockeying to be Trump’s preferred candidate to succeed him.

Others argue the strategy is more about Vance and Rubio playing to different policy areas and strengths within the Republican base. 

“It’s a one-two punch,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist. “Those are his dynamic duo, and they each have different strengths.” 

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is seen as a favorite among the Republican establishment on Capitol Hill and national security hawks. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran hailing from Appalachia, has strong appeal among the GOP’s populist base. 

“Certainly 2028 perceptions and ramifications are part of this,” said another Republican strategist. “But [Trump] is also smart to recognize that they both to some degree speak to different elements of our base today, which needs to stay united and supported behind the effort in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

“They both bring something unique and different to the table in trying to maintain support and enthusiasm for the actions of today while also at the same time peeking around the corner, and making sure they both get visibility about whatever may be ahead for one or both of them tomorrow,” the strategist continued. 

“I would expect 2028 to be nothing less than ‘The Apprentice’ on steroids,” the unnamed strategist said, referring to Trump’s 2000s-era reality TV show. “By the way, I don’t think it just involves people that are currently in the administration. I think there’s going to be a long line of contestants that participate in this.” 

That includes playing to their roles in the administration. Rubio and Vance were seated together in the Oval Office on Tuesday for Trump’s meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin on St. Patrick’s Day.

Trump turned to Rubio when it came to a question on Cuba, telling reporters that “Marco” was in talks with the Caribbean island as it faces widespread blackouts and economic upheaval.

Trump then turned to Vance to ask if he wanted to answer a question about attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.  

“Marco, as secretary of State, obviously has control over the embassy,” Vance prefaced before going into his answer. 

“It goes to show there’s a lot of terrorists in that part of the world and we’ve got to eliminate them when we find them,” Vance said.

That marked a different display between Trump and Vance from reports that have suggested there was friction over the attacks in Iran.

Trump last week described Vance as “maybe less than enthusiastic” about the start of the war.

Vance, in the Oval Office on Monday, sought to tamp down such a notion when a reporter asked about his history of criticizing the U.S.’s meddling in foreign affairs.

“You’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president. What the president has said consistently, going back to 2015, and I agree with him, is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters when asked if he was supportive of the U.S. operation in Iran. 

When pressed on whether he had any hesitation with the current operation based on his past statements, Vance said one difference is “we have a smart president whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb presidents.”

Trump has also repeatedly praised Rubio in public, including at Trump’s State of the Union address, where Rubio received a standing ovation in the chamber. 

When asked about Vance’s and Rubio’s political futures, Trump has called the two “fantastic” and suggested that a Vance-Rubio presidential ticket would be “unstoppable.” However, he has stopped short of officially endorsing either one.

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