White House says Trump 'certainly agrees' with Vance's remark on Israeli govt elements influencing US opinion on Iran conflict
Washington DC, July 17
The White House on Thursday said that US President Donald Trump "certainly agrees" with Vice President JD Vance's assertion that foreign countries, particularly Israel, seek to influence American public opinion, after Vance alleged that certain elements within the Israeli government were attempting to shape US opinion to prolong the conflict with Iran.
Responding to a question during a press briefing on whether Trump agreed with Vance's remarks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "I think the President would certainly agree that, yes, foreign countries certainly do try to persuade American public opinion. There's no doubt about that. I think it's just a basic fact."
Leavitt's comments came a day after Vance, in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, alleged that "certain elements" within the Israeli government were attempting to influence American public opinion to keep the conflict with Iran going indefinitely.
"There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely," Vance said during the interview.
"Not toward any objective, but just indefinitely," he added.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Vance's remarks underscored growing public differences between Washington and Israel over the handling of the Iran conflict.
The report said Vance, who helped negotiate last month's ceasefire with Iran, accused some Israeli officials of working to undermine diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.
Referring to reports of an Israeli-backed influence campaign, Vance said he had seen "a literal foreign influence campaign" aimed at derailing the agreement he was pursuing.
"When I open up the pages of Time magazine, and I see that there's a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that I was pursuing, and, oh, by the way, many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways. You know, my response to that is, 'Well, go to hell,'" Vance said.
"I'm going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first," he added.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Israel has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen support for the war in the United States and improve its global image, including a reported USD 45 million lobbying contract awarded to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale.
The newspaper also reported that Vance referred to a Time magazine article alleging that some of those funds were used to pay online influencers who criticised him.
Parscale denied the allegations in a post on social media, stating, "Claims that I attacked the MOU or the Administration are false. There isn't a single shred of evidence that I acted against the Administration."
The Wall Street Journal further reported that Vance has adopted a different approach toward Israel than many traditional Republicans, seeking to balance efforts to combat antisemitism while questioning the party's long-standing policy of unwavering support for Israel.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is a double-edged sword. While I appreciate the transparency, is this really appropriate for a sitting VP to say about an ally? Imagine if our External Affairs Minister said something similar about another country's attempts to influence Indian opinion. There would be an uproar! Vance's language ("go to hell") is also undiplomatic.
As an Indian, I find this fascinating. Israel spends millions on lobbying in the US - that's well known. But the irony is that India also does the same! We have our own lobbyists in Washington trying to influence US policy on Pakistan, trade, etc. So maybe America should look at all foreign influence, not just Israel's.
I'm an American living in Bangalore and this Vance-Rogan interview was explosive. What people don't realize is how similar this is to the India-China situation - when there's a conflict, certain interest groups try to prolong it for their own benefit. Trump agreeing with this is a big deal. The US-Israel relationship is the 'sacred cow' of American politics.
The $45 million contract to Trump's former campaign manager Parscale is hilarious. So the same people who complain about foreign influence are taking money from foreign governments? 🤡 This whole thing is a circus. Meanwhile, people in Iran and Israel are dying. Both sides need to de-escalate and focus on peace.
From an Indian strategic perspective, this is worrying. India has excellent relations with both Israel and Iran. If the US-Israel relationship fractures, it could destabilize the entire Middle East, which directly impacts our energy security and the 9 million Indians living in the Gulf. We need
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