JD Vance
Vice President of the United States · Republican Party
2 changes of mind on record, 2016–2024
How this works
Each change shows what they said then and what they said later, in their own words, dated, with the source.
Every quote is checked word for word against a saved copy of its source. Translations are labelled.
The short labels on each line are our summaries.
At a glance
- A national abortion standard A national minimum is fineLeave it to the states Oct 2022Oct 2024
- Donald Trump Critic of TrumpTrump is the best hope Jul 2016Jul 2024
first said said otherwise
A national abortion standard
Then
A national minimum is fine
A minimum national standard on abortion, discussed around a 15-week federal limit, is fine with him.
“Some minimum national standard is totally fine with me”
Source Tim Ryan and J.D. Vance tangle over authenticity and abortion in first Ohio Senate debate (NBC News) (as reported by nbcnews.com)
1 year, 11 months later
Later
Leave it to the states
Abortion policy should be decided by voters in each state.
“And the proper way to handle this, as messy as democracy sometimes is, is to let voters make these decisions, let the individual states make their abortion policy.”
Source Vice Presidential Debate in New York City (American Presidency Project)
Context: In the same 2024 debate Vance said he never supported a national ban, that in 2022 he had talked about some minimum national standard, and that Ohio's 2023 abortion referendum, which went against his position, changed his view.
Donald Trump
Then
Critic of Trump
Trump offers voters a short-lived relief but cannot fix their problems.
“Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it.”
8 years later
Later
Trump is the best hope
Trump is the country's best hope of restoring what it has lost.
“President Trump represents America's last best hope to restore what — if lost — may never be found again.”
Context: Vance ran for the US Senate in Ohio in 2022 with Trump's endorsement and won; in 2021 he said publicly that he regretted his earlier criticism of Trump.