‘Thank god’: JD Vance praises Trump for refusing to be a ‘caretaker’ president

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance recently spoke in support of President Donald Trump's leadership philosophy.

According to the interview, the president's risk-taking attitude stands in contrast to decades of carefully managed politics.

Vance compared the American government with the private sector, claiming both areas were suffering because their leaders lacked the desire to challenge the status quo, and said Trump was the one to finally change that during his time in office.

Vice President JD Vance (R) speaks to the media after President Donald Trump (L) signed a document during a White House signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2026 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

JD Vance praises Trump’s risk-taking leadership

JD Vance said that a rift between entrepreneurial types and more conservative managers has hurt America’s growth for the majority of his life.

"One of the frustrations I've had just looking at the economy, you know, pretty much my entire life, is there's been this division between entrepreneurs and managers, between bureaucrats and people who are genuinely innovative and willing to take risks," Vance said.

"I think that we've had way too many caretaker presidents during my lifetime. Frankly, way too many caretaker CEOs and not enough people who are genuinely innovative and willing to take risks."

Vance claimed that Trump is an exception to the rule, despite the criticism he has received.

"Obviously, he gets criticized for it from time to time, but I'd much rather have a president who's willing to take those risks, who's willing to take on the big projects," Vance said.

"It's the only way I think you're going to reverse America's long-term decline is to be willing to take those risks. Thank God for the past 18 months, we've had a president willing to do just that."

JD Vance defends Trump’s Iran strategy

JD Vance applied the same logic to the administration’s strategy on Iran, arguing that Trump is being strategic and not reckless.

He said the president is protecting American interests while simultaneously promoting the free flow of capital and energy to global markets.

He also argued that the administration’s actions were the rational decision considering the circumstances, rather than an irresponsible gamble.

Vance's comments continue a theme he has pursued relentlessly since taking office, which he raised in his early remarks to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, arguing that decades of globalization and excessive caution had left American innovation languishing.

He has cast himself as one of the administration's leading voices on economic and technology policy, often arguing that President Trump's willingness to upend the status quo is the defining quality that distinguishes this administration from those that came before.

More recently, he has applied the same argument to the administration's foreign policy decisions as well as its economic policies.