Political positions of JD Vance

The 50th vice president of the United States, JD Vance, has been described as a national conservative, right-wing populist, and an ideological successor to paleoconservatives such as Pat Buchanan. Vance describes himself, and has been described by others, as a member of the postliberal right. Vance has described himself as having been influenced by Catholic social teaching. He has endorsed books by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and far-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec.

On social issues, Vance is considered conservative. He opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun control. He has taken a number of natalist positions. He has repeatedly expressed his belief that childlessness is linked to sociopathy. Vance has repeatedly asserted that parents should have more voting power than non-parents; however, in August 2024, he backtracked from that suggestion. He has proposed federal criminalization of gender-affirming care for minors. He supports Israel in the Gaza war. He opposes continued American military aid to Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion and prefers a negotiated peace. Vance has argued that the country's largest and most powerful institutions have united against the right and has called for "a de-woke-ification program". He is critical of universities, which he has called "the enemy". Vance is also critical of both the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2016, Vance was an outspoken critic of then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling him "reprehensible" and himself a "never Trump guy". In 2021, after Vance announced his Senate candidacy, he publicly announced support for Trump, apologizing for his past criticisms of Trump and deleting some of them. That year, Vance advised Trump to fire all civil servants and replace them with Trump supporters. Vance has said that if he had been vice president during the 2020 presidential election, he would not have certified the results. Instead, Vance insisted that some states that Trump lost should have sent pro-Trump electors to Washington so that Congress could decide the election.