The U.S. Vice President responded to media reports concerning Donald Trump's statement that he did not consider American finances during efforts to end the war with Iran, as well as allegations that Trump engaged in extensive stock trading while in office.
On 19 May 2026, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance responded to criticism about President Donald Trump's remarks that he did not consider American financial concerns while trying to resolve the Iran war. Vance told CNN that the president “has a legitimate duty to focus on multiple issues simultaneously.”
Last week, Trump was asked how much American economic concerns influenced his push for a peace deal, to which he replied, “Not at all,” emphasizing, “The only thing that matters when I talk about Iran is that they must not possess nuclear weapons.”
Most recently on Tuesday, the Vice President claimed journalists “distorted” the president’s statements, including the defense Vance himself had provided the previous week.
Vance told CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins that the president “was accused of saying he does not care about the financial situation of Americans — which he never said.”
“It was a complete removal of his words from context — what he said was that when negotiating with Iran, the focus is on the national security objectives he is trying to achieve.”
The Vice President emphasized that Trump remains “focused” on issues facing Americans, adding, “Every day I speak with him about these matters — every day, he cares deeply about his fellow Americans.”
“You can think about two things at once: the president cares about Americans’ financial security, but at the same time, when negotiating with Iran, he addresses issues directly related to that specific conflict,” Vance said.
Meanwhile, Vance avoided direct answers regarding allegations that Trump traded thousands of stocks during his presidency, claiming that Trump was not personally conducting those trades.
“He has independent wealth advisors who manage his money,” Vance said during a press briefing. “He is not the one making those stock trades himself.”
The Vice President appeared displeased by questions about Trump’s latest financial disclosure report, which revealed thousands of stock transactions, including investments in companies Trump publicly praised or that had government-related interests.
However, when pressed on whether such activities were appropriate, Vance downplayed the issue and countered that Trump supports limiting officials’ rights to trade stocks.
“We all agree that no one should use inside information gained from public service to trade stocks,” he said. “I believe the proper approach is to ban that practice entirely, make it illegal—and that is what the president has proposed.”
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Source:cnn