Vance Tells Republican Jews Gospel Is ‘The Solution’ To Antisemitism

LAS VEGAS (VINnews) — Vice President JD Vance told Republican Jewish leaders in a closed-door appearance Monday that the root of antisemitism is “blood libel” and that “the gospel is actually the solution,” remarks that quickly drew criticism for echoing arguments long associated with Tucker Carlson.

Vance spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s national leadership summit in a question-and-answer session with former Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., the group’s national chairman. The conversation was billed as off the record but leaked almost immediately, with audio obtained by multiple outlets.

Vance condemned Jew-hatred as “corrosive to the soul” and told the audience, “We love you guys.” He said Jews and Christians share the concept of imago Dei — that all people are created in the image of God — citing the Book of Genesis.

“The root of antisemitism, the core of antisemitism to me, is the idea of blood libel. The idea that because of your genetics, because of your blood, because of your ancestry, you are guilty of a crime that you never committed,” Vance said. “And I think that blood libel, which is at the root of antisemitism, is the exact opposite of the Christian gospel. And because of that, I believe the gospel is actually the solution to this.”

He added that a person cannot be a Christian — “and I would say … I don’t think that you can be a Jew either” — while engaging in “blood guilt,” and that the antidote to antisemitism is rejecting that idea.

Tablet Magazine, in a widely circulated analysis of the remarks, said Vance offered “a deeply confused explanation of antisemitism that echoed Tucker Carlson, and proposed the gospel as a solution.” The magazine argued that Carlson has for years framed antisemitism as an “unchristian” form of collective “blood guilt,” while still treating Jews as a political collective, and that Vance’s formulation followed the same logic.

Asked about podcasters who have platformed antisemites — Coleman named Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan and Nick Fuentes — Vance did not criticize Carlson by name. He said many in the room “may disagree with things that Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly or Joe Rogan have said,” then distinguished Fuentes from Rogan.

Vance said Fuentes “really does hate Jews” and that he would not engage someone who had attacked his family or said Hitler was a good person. He called Fuentes and Rogan “very, very different categories of people.”

On Israel, Vance called the U.S.-Israel relationship “one of our most important alliances in the world and certainly our most important regional alliance.” He said there is “growing suspicion among … under-40s of the U.S.-Israel relationship” and that Republicans must explain why the alliance serves American interests, not rely on older rhetorical arguments.

Vance also denounced Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, calling him a “psychopath” over comments after an attack on a Jewish preschool and linking El-Sayed’s worldview to ethnic score-settling. He urged support for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in that race.

Attendees applauded portions of the appearance, and some Republican Jewish leaders said Vance eased concerns about his commitment to the U.S.-Israel alliance. Others said he still failed to draw a clear line on Carlson, a longtime ally who has hosted Nick Fuentes and criticized Israel in terms many Jewish Republicans consider antisemitic.

The RJC summit comes as some Jewish Republicans weigh Vance as the likely 2028 Republican presidential frontrunner and continue to press GOP leaders to confront antisemitism on the right as well as the left.