Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro unloaded on Vice President JD Vance after the veep’s latest appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, claiming that Vance sounded more like a Democrat than a Republican while questioning whether he should lead the GOP into the 2028 presidential race.
“I tuned into Joe Rogan yesterday and heard Bernie Sanders’ economics, Barack Obama’s foreign policy, and Ro Khanna’s conspiracy theories. And then I realized JD Vance was talking. I want a candidate in 2028 who doesn’t mirror the Democrats — and who can win,” Shapiro wrote Thursday on social media.
“Mr. VP, this is not the way,” he added.
Shapiro expanded on his criticism during Thursday’s episode of his YouTube show, where he first praised Vance personally before turning to what he described as serious ideological concerns.
Shapiro said Vance was “charming and articulate” and “is a very nice person,” while also complimenting Second Lady Usha Vance.
“But now it’s time to get down to brass tacks,” he then said. “Would we like a Republican Party that is essentially a horseshoe Democratic Party? I’m asking because that’s kind of what the VP sounded like on Joe Rogan.”
He continued, “I’m not sure what he’s doing. Now, listen, I want the Democrats to lose. Not because I don’t share their jersey, but because I do not share their fundamental principles. So I’m looking to support candidates who, number one, actually oppose Democratic policies. And two, can also win.”
Shapiro then continued the attack, saying that Vance, who is the clear 2028 frontrunner among the GOP’s voter base despite talking heads’ opinions, failed both tests.
“So yesterday, on Joe Rogan’s show, the Vice President made a strong case against free markets and meritocracy. He talked about the necessity of bold, intrusive government interventionism … and he promoted a conspiratorial view of the world that undermines the meritocracy.”
Shapiro added that he finds that “weird and concerning.”
Vance sat down with Rogan on Wednesday for a nearly three-hour interview covering a wide range of political topics. It marked the vice president’s second appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” after first joining the podcast one week before the 2024 presidential election.
Among the topics discussed were files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the war with Iran, and controversial remarks from a UFC fighter about former first lady Michelle Obama.
VP @JDVance and @joerogan on Democrats using illegal immigration to shift electoral power in their favor and increase their congressional representation:
ROGAN: “They just opened the border and not just encouraged people to come across, but facilitated it.”
“And then you… pic.twitter.com/XHFCnlVOCB
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 15, 2026
During the conversation, Vance suggested some Israeli officials opposed a proposed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding because they preferred the conflict to continue.
“There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” Vance said. “Again, not towards any objective, but just indefinitely.”
Vance is widely viewed as one of the leading contenders for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
President Donald Trump praised both men during an appearance on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast last month when asked who should carry the GOP banner in 2028.
“I like them both,” Trump said, adding, “and I like them together.”
Trump has also floated the idea of Vance and Rubio running together on a Republican ticket in the next presidential election.
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