Vance will lead Iran peace talks. Here are his biggest moments as VP
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Vice President JD Vance speaks at Engineering Design Services, Inc. in Auburn Hills, Mich., on March 18, 2026. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. team in Iran peace talks when negotiations begin in Pakistan on Saturday.
Why it matters: Vance has been one of the most active vice presidents in recent memory throughout Trump's second term, taking a leading role in conversations with Europe and becoming the face of certain domestic policies. Brokering a peace deal with Iran might be his biggest challenge yet.
- Saturday will mark the highest-level meeting between the U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and a successful deal would help Vance bolster his resume for a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Here's a look at Vance's biggest moments under Trump 2.0.
Iran peace deal
State of play: Vance had been viewed by the Trump administration as an attractive negotiating partner for the Iranians, based on his well-documented opposition to overseas entanglements, Axios reporters Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo reported.
- On the other hand, Vance advisers suspect some in Israel want to undermine him for being insufficiently hawkish, Ravid and Caputo reported.
Vance vs. Zelensky
Flashback: Trump, Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a highly contentious meeting in February 2025, dubbed by some as a "screaming match."
- Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful — pointing to the Ukrainian president's decision to litigate the war's state of play to the American media rather than express gratitude.
Since then, Vance and Zelensky have spoken — including when Zelensky visited the White House in August and in November about a U.S.-proposed peace plan for Ukraine.
Arguments with Europe
The big picture: Vance has largely become the Trump team's chief antagonist of Europe, both publicly and behind the scenes.
- He's been critical of defense spending and censorship, straining the relationship between Europe and the U.S. He's also suggested his Euro-skepticism stems from elites trying to thwart Trump's rise.
"Europe is at risk, I think, of engaging in civilizational suicide," he told Fox News in March 2025, arguing European countries haven't done a good job limiting immigration.
- His aggressive speech at the Munich Security Conference offended many European leaders, too.
Friction point: Last March, Vance also told Fox News that a U.S. economic pact with Ukraine was better than the country getting help "from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."
- Britain and France expressed outrage immediately, prompting Vance to walk back his claims.
Minnesota and ICE
Vance largely defended the Trump administration's immigration operation in Minnesota despite growing public backlash against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- The vice president visited the Twin Cities in January to see how to tone down chaos in the area while allowing the federal government to continue enforcing immigration laws.
- "JD took Minnesota on as an issue where he's going to lead. He wants a strong response," an adviser told Axios' Marc Caputo and Tory Van Oot at the time. "He doesn't want to back down. Neither does the president."
MAGA successor for 2028
Another win for Vance is that he is already positioned to be MAGA's heir apparent for 2028, Axios' Marc Caputo and Alex Thompson write.
- He easily won a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) of potential 2028 GOP nominees with 61%.
- Prediction markets and other recent polls suggest Vance is in the lead to take over the MAGA crown and become the Republican nominee in 2028.
Zoom in: Vance has won over Trump's base with public tough talk, while also creating strong bonds within the president's team. He's also gotten a boost from the MAGA media sphere.
