JD Vance says that his 180-degree reversal on his stance on the military action in Iran is because, before Donald Trump, the U.S. was run by “dumb presidents.”

“I know what you’re trying to do,” the vice president said Monday, when confronted about his previous statements on American interventionism, which are contrary to his new support for Trump’s ongoing campaign in the Middle East.

“You’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president. What the president has said consistently, going back to 2015 – and I agreed with him – is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”

Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps before his political career, was a vocal critic of overseas intervention during his time as an Ohio Senator.

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Pushed on his own contradictions, Vance added: “I think one big difference… is that we have a smart president, whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb presidents, and I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people, and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated.”

Trump, who campaigned on an “America first” platform and vowed not to entangle the U.S. in unnecessary foreign wars, ordered the first airstrikes against Tehran over three weeks ago. Operation Epic Fury has so far claimed the lives of 13 U.S. servicemen.

Social media users were quick to point out Vance’s more recent changes of heart, including following the first bombing of Iran last summer. “I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East,” Vance said in an interview in June 2025.

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“I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then, we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish America’s national security objectives.”

“So this is not going to be some long, drawn out thing we’ve got in we’ve done the job of setting their nuclear program back. We’re going to now work to permanently dismantle that nuclear program over the coming years, and that is what the president has set out to do.”

In an episode of the Tim Dillon podcast in October 2024, he said of U.S. interests, “I think very much, is in not going to war with Iran.”

Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly declined to rule out sending U.S. troops into Iran as part of a ground invasion. As well as the 13 dead service members, 200 more have been wounded as of Monday, according to U.S. Central Command.