Republican hopefuls Vance and Rubio juggle Trump’s Iran war while eyeing the White House

JD Vance, the vice president, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and acting national security adviser, are widely viewed as the leading contenders to inherit Donald Trump’s mantle. The Iran war, Trump’s least popular policy, forces them to appear supportive in public while managing private reservations. Reports indicate Vance repeatedly urged military leaders for unfiltered opinions and warned of regional chaos, yet he aligned publicly with the administration’s stance once the conflict began.

Rubio has largely avoided commenting on the war, labeling the notion that bombing would topple Tehran as “bullshit” in a confidential meeting, and has instead emphasized his work on Venezuela and Cuba. Their divergent approaches underscore the challenge of courting the party’s base without being irrevocably linked to a contentious foreign-policy gamble.