JD Vance touts Trump as "candidate of peace"

• Gens. John Kelly and Mark Milley, former Trump administration officials, have warned of the dangers they believe he poses to democracy.
• Kelly, in a series of interviews with the New York Times, alleged Trump on several occasions praised Adolf Hitler and said the former president "certainly falls into the general definition of fascist."
• Trump subsequently blasted Kelly, his former White House chief of staff, as a "lowlife" and a "total degenerate" Wednesday.

What he's saying: Vance claimed on NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview aired Sunday that the outspoken criticism from former Trump officials is "not about personality" but rather stems from foreign policy differences.

• "This disagreement is because John Kelly didn't like the peace-through-strength policy of Donald Trump," he contended.
• Vance characterized four-star gens Milley, who said Trump is "a fascist to the core," and Kelly as "disgruntled former employees."
• He continued: "Donald Trump was already president for four years. If he was what John Kelly said he was, then why did Donald Trump deliver peace and prosperity?"

Zoom out: Vance evoked messaging across his media appearances, arguing an underlying war hawk versus non-interventionist conflict is driving the animosity.

• In response to former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney's condemnation of the Republican ticket's rhetoric about women, Vance contended the former Wyoming congresswoman wants to "start wars ... all over the world" while Trump is the "candidate of peace."

Catch up quick: Trump, too, has attempted to paint a peaceful picture of his presidency, framing the deadly Jan. 6 attack as a "day of love."

• Those comments coincided with his repeated characterization of Democrats as the "enemy from within."
• Asked about Trump's language, Vance told NBC's Kristen Welker, "I think what Donald Trump said is that those folks pose a greater threat to United States' peace and security because America's strong enough to stand up to any foreign adversary."

Friction point: Vance told NBC that the U.S. would "stay in NATO" under Trump, who has faced backlash over his comments about the alliance, once saying he'd let Russia attack member nations who don't meet defense spending targets.

• "But I think it's important, Kristen, that we recognize that NATO is not just a welfare client," he said on NBC. "It should be a real alliance."

Between the lines: Vance has often spoken against military intervention abroad — but his candidacy comes at a time where several overseas conflicts are playing a prominent role in American public opinion and are threatening to widen into broader wars.

• He echoed his contention that Kelly and Cheney clash with Trump over foreign policy on CNN's "State of the Union," saying in an interview aired Sunday, "Even though they say that they're conservative, they're conservative in the sense that they want America to get involved in a ton of ridiculous military conflicts."
• Vance also told CNN's Jake Tapper, "A lot of old Neoconservatives, they have a fundamental difference with Donald Trump on the question of peace and war. I believe Donald Trump is the candidate of peace."
• He repeatedly suggested the former president's critics want America to "police" the world on his Sunday show run.

Asked about his commitment to the Constitution, which former Vice President Mike Pence has said Trump put himself over, Vance said his loyalty "is to the Constitution of the United States."

• He added: "I don't think there's inconsistency between loyalty to the Constitution and support for Donald Trump."

Go deeper: Vance goes all in on denying Trump lost the 2020 election