Trump praises 'phenomenal' JD Vance's fight against 'billions' in fraud, likens VP to Eliot Ness

WASHINGTON, DC: At Wednesday’s Rose Garden dinner on Sept 2, President Donald Trump didn’t hold back; he praised Vice President JD Vance, likening him to the famous Prohibition-era lawman Eliot Ness.

Trump talked up Vance’s work leading the administration’s anti-fraud efforts, calling the crackdown massive. He pointed out the amount of fraud Vance’s team found, although he didn't give any exact numbers.

From task force chief to 'fraud czar'

"And a man who is doing a phenomenal job as vice president of the United States, JD Vance. Got a lot on his plate. Got a lot of, a lot of fraud investigations," Trump said. "Eliot Ness, they say he, he looks like Eliot Ness standing there with about 15 central casting type people behind him. I said, that's a scary group, but you're doing well."

During his tenure, Eliot Ness nearly eliminated corruption and major crimes on Cleveland's streets, brought the fire department up to modern standards and instituted the latest traffic technologies to turn the city around

Vance was later elevated to the informal title of "fraud czar," a designation Trump announced on Truth Social after Vance's task force said it had busted a $50 million hospice and healthcare fraud scheme in Los Angeles.

"Standing there with 15 central casting type people behind him. He's finding billions. You're finding, he's finding billions and billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of, of fraud. Hundreds of billions or millions," Trump said.

"You could say it any way you want, but it's a lot. Certainly there are hundreds of billions that have been stolen," the president continued.

Minnesota has become a recurring flashpoint

Vance has focused more and more on Minnesota lately, especially since the administration stopped federal Medicaid payments there because of a big daycare fraud investigation that's fired up Republicans.

He’s also rolling out a new position, an assistant attorney general based at the White House, whose entire job is to oversee fraud investigations across all federal programs. This role isn’t part of the Justice Department; it stands on its own.

Trump keeps saying the anti-fraud campaign is the key to balancing the federal budget.

He tells his supporters that getting the stolen money back could solve the problem “without having to do anything” else.

This assignment put Vance in the spotlight and got people talking about his political future. Some conservatives already think that if the fraud task force does well, it could boost his chances for a 2028 presidential run.

They picture Vance bringing his domestic policy experience, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio handles the foreign policy side, a possible ticket some folks are watching.