Vice President JD Vance praised three progressive politicians who he has grown to appreciate — an unusual admission from a Trump-aligned conservative and a rare moment of cross-party goodwill in a tense political climate.
Vance told NBC News that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-labeled democratic socialist, stand out to him as figures who break from what he described as a political culture in which most officials do not listen to voters.
He said the three progressives, despite significant ideological distance from him, have demonstrated an approach that earns his respect.
"I have always been fascinated by Bernie," Vance said. He described an early Senate interaction in which Sanders made a comment he said captured part of his own political outlook.
"It is one of the funniest things that I have ever heard, and it is actually a pretty good summary of my politics, but it would probably really hurt me on both the left and the right," he said.
He added that repeating it would also "hurt Bernie."
Vance said he often clashes with Khanna online but sees occasional value in the congressman's arguments.
He described Khanna as "very annoying" but added that "he occasionally will say something interesting, which is more than I could say for most politicians."
The vice president's comments on Mamdani were similarly layered.
He echoed President Donald Trump in calling the democratic socialist a communist, yet praised Mamdani's intense focus on affordability in New York City.
Vance said the city's cost-of-living crisis is severe and that Mamdani is "at least listening to people."
He noted that Trump himself recently met with Mamdani and described him as compelling. Vance later called him "fascinating."
"Most politicians, it is a very low bar, but they do not even listen to people," Vance said. "I would put Mamdani, Bernie, and Ro Khanna in the category of those who, at least sometimes, are."
Vance's praise came as he also addressed the growing debate over antisemitism in national politics.
He rejected claims from some Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, that antisemitism is rising inside the GOP. Vance said he sees no such trend.
"In any bunch of apples, you have bad people," he said, adding that it is "slanderous to say that the Republican Party, the conservative movement, is extremely antisemitic."
He said he has not observed "simmering antisemitism that is exploding."
The vice president also defended Trump's recent comments describing affordability complaints as a political "hoax," saying Democrats created many of the economic problems Republicans are now expected to solve.
"The hoax is the idea that it's our fault and not the Democrats' fault. And I do think that's a totally [expletive] narrative," he said.
Looking ahead, Vance said he is avoiding public discussion of 2028 and focusing on the 2026 midterms.
"The president really needs a vice president who is loyal to him and doesn't use the media to backstab or to set himself up well for 2028," Vance said.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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