On Thursday, JD Vance took a moment to disparage a British podcaster while the country grappled with its most significant air disaster in nearly 25 years.
The vice president reacted to backlash from Rory Stewart, a former member of the Conservative Party, who currently co-hosts the widely listened to “The Rest Is Politics” podcast. Stewart, who also served as a mentor to Princes William and Harry and lectures at Yale, criticized remarks made during a Fox News discussion on Wednesday.
“There’s this traditional notion—and I believe it’s a very Christian idea, by the way—that you show love first to your family, then to your neighbor, followed by your community, then to your fellow citizens in the nation, and only after that should you focus on the global community,” Vance explained in the interview. “A considerable portion of the extreme left has completely reversed this.”
Responding to a video of Vance’s comments on Twitter, Stewart described Vance’s interpretation as a “strange reading of John 15:12-13 (This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends), characterizing Vance’s view as “less Christian and more reminiscent of pagan tribalism.”
“We should be concerned when politicians start acting like theologians, presume to voice Jesus’s thoughts, and dictate the order in which we should love,” Stewart further stated.
“Just look up ‘ordo amoris,’” Vance, who embraced Catholicism in 2019, countered. “Moreover, the belief that there isn’t a hierarchy of obligations goes against basic common sense. Does Rory genuinely believe that his moral responsibilities to his own children are identical to those owed to a stranger living continents away? Does anyone?”
“I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll reiterate it: the issue with Rory and individuals like him is that he possesses an IQ of 110 but perceives himself as having an IQ of 130,” Vance added in a subsequent comment. “This unwarranted hubris has fueled so much elite failure over the past four decades.”
Alastair Campbell, the former communications chief for former British prime minister Tony Blair and a current co-host on Stewart’s podcast, remarked that it was “quite peculiar” for the U.S. vice president “to waste his time trying to provoke my podcast partner.”
Stewart responded to Vance’s insult the following morning, stating that it was a privilege to “have my IQ challenged by you, Mr. VP.”
“However, your claims to speak on behalf of Christ are misleading and perilous,” Stewart articulated. “Nowhere does Jesus imply that love should be prioritized in concentric circles. His love is all-encompassing.” He further contended that humanity is “self-serving and tribal,” yet “the last figure we should be invoking to rationalize our self-interest is Christ.”
On Thursday, Vance also participated in a White House press conference where President Donald Trump attributed the deterioration of safety in U.S. aviation to DEI, following a tragic midair collision between a passenger aircraft and a military helicopter believed to have resulted in 67 fatalities over Washington, D.C.
When questioned about how he could assert that diversity initiatives contributed to the crash, Trump provided no supporting evidence, stating instead: “Because I trust my common sense, OK?” He also addressed another reporter’s inquiry concerning his assertions about diversity hiring and the disaster by saying: “It just could have been.”
After expressing gratitude to Trump for his “leadership” during the press conference, Vance reinforced his superior’s statements.
“When quality standards in hiring are lacking, it indicates that, on one hand, you’re not securing the best individuals in government,” Vance remarked. “Conversely, it places additional pressure on those who are already part of the system.”
