Vance to privately address Republican Jewish Coalition during tension
over Israel and antisemitism
[August 31, 2026]
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak Monday at
the annual gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition, an opportunity
for him to assuage concerns among conservative Jewish activists about
his views toward Israel and his association with controversial figures
like Tucker Carlson.
The appearance, which was to be closed to the news media, comes at an
extraordinarily sensitive time for Jewish Americans and the U.S.
relationship with Israel. Concerns about antisemitism have surged across
the political spectrum ahead of the midterm elections. Republicans are
eager to portray Democrats as hostile toward Jews and Israel, but
they're also dealing with their own internal schisms.
Vance suggested last month that some Israeli officials have sought to
manipulate U.S. public opinion in order to prolong the war with Iran.
There's also lingering concern over Vance's failure to disavow Carlson,
a conservative commentator who last year hosted antisemite Nick Fuentes
for a friendly conversation.
“There's a sentiment here of some discomfort over the vice president
speaking. Some people are disappointed,” said Terry Platt, a Republican
Jewish Coalition member from New York. “We're confused about his true
sentiments.”
Vance is widely considered a frontrunner for the Republican nomination
to succeed President Donald Trump in 2028. He’s expressed his support
for Israel but, unlike Trump, has been viewed as more equivocal or
skeptical toward the longtime ally.
Back in June, he sharply criticized members of Israel’s government for
opposing Trump’s efforts to resolve the war with Iran.
“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be
attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire
world,” Vance said.
Then in July, Vance said elements of the Israeli government had tried to
influence American sentiment to derail negotiations.
“There are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow
of a doubt are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion
to keep the war going on indefinitely," he told podcaster Joe Rogan.
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Vice President JD Vance speaks at CompoTech headquarters, Monday,
August 24, 2026 in Brewer, Maine. (Anna Moneymaker/Pool Photo via
AP)
Support for Israel has eroded in the United States, although more
dramatically among Democrats. Roughly half of Democrats believe that
Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, according to an
AP-NORC poll released in July, an accusation that’s been leveled by
some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and
the U.S. government.
Republicans are more likely to back Israel, but there's a
generational divide, and younger Republicans are more likely than
their older counterparts to say the U.S. is too supportive of
Israel.
The divide has been disconcerting for some influential Jewish
conservatives, who have used the annual Republican Jewish Coalition
summits to push back on antisemitism.
“We need a country where elected officials stand proudly with the
Jewish community,” U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan said Sunday.
“That is the work, and it begins before we leave this room.”
A year ago, the coalition’s annual summit was planned as a
celebration of the Trump administration’s work to return Israeli
hostages held in Gaza since the war began. Instead, it became a
days-long condemnation of antisemitism within the conservative ranks
sparked by the refusal of Heritage Foundation President Kevin
Roberts to distance the think tank from Carlson after he hosted
Fuentes on his show.
At one point during the summit, college students waved red signs
that read, “Tucker is not MAGA.”
Bruce Pearl, the Auburn University men’s basketball coach who has
emerged as a prominent pro-Israel conservative, previously said that
Vance would need to reject Carlson to receive his support.
“If he maintains that connection to that antisemite,” Pearl said in
June, “I think that’s going to be bad for antisemitism, because he
will bring a lot of Tucker Carlsons with him. He’ll uplift them.”
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