JD Vance touches on economic benefits, talks about Iran’s military operations in NC

ROCKY MOUNT, NC — Vice President JD Vance traveled to North Carolina and hosted an event Friday to promote the economy, advocate for Republicans to win elections in the Tar Heel State, and touch on the situation in Iran.

Vance was also joined by former RNC chairman and GOP Senate nominee Michael Whatley and Small Business Association CEO Kelly Loeffler at the local event.

“In just a short period of time, we’ve seen new home purchases rise to their highest level in five years,” Vance said. “Since the last time Donald Trump was president, we’ve seen rents go down six months in a row.”

“We’ve seen an average tax refund that will come to North Carolina residents, about $3,700 per family,” Vance said. “And we’re seeing the lowest interest rates since the last time Donald J. Trump was president.”

VANCE TELLS MINNEAPOLIS TO ‘STOP FIGHTING’ COUNTY AS WHITE HOUSE RETURNS TO CARCKDOWN

Vance was introduced by Loeffler, the former Georgia congressman whom Trump appointed to lead small business advocacy as head of the SBA last February.

“Together, we are cleaning up big, wasteful money and abuse of government programs,” Loeffler told the audience. “And you’ve seen the fraud that sent your hard-earned tax dollars overseas and the Democrats’ open borders, withdrawing policing programs that have invited violent crime in what should be safe communities, taking the lives of innocent victims as playgrounds.”

Vance addressed the situation in Iran, both to the crowd and in response to a question posed by an AP reporter. The vice president pointed to Iran’s nuclear power as the main reason for US involvement.

Explosions after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Monday. (Photo by Hassan Ammar/AP)

NC SENATE SHOWDOWN INCENTIVES AS TRUMP RELEASES AFTER WHATLEY TO KEEP GOP SEAT

“You all know that right now, we are engaged in a military campaign to ensure, as the president has said repeatedly, that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That’s a simple, simple principle and standard. In fact, every president. He has taken steps to ensure that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

When asked what he advised the president before the strikes on Iran began, Vance said he was not releasing information from secret conversations in the situation room.

“I’m not going to appear here before God and everybody, and tell you exactly what I said in that isolated room, partly because I don’t want to go to jail, and partly because I think it’s important that the President of the United States be able to talk to his advisers without those advisers passing their mouths to the American media,” explained Vance.

President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Vance in The Situation Room. (White House via X)

VANCE CALLS WALZ A ‘JOKE,’ WANTS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TO ALLOW GRAND DOMINION

Vance has also been a staunch supporter of Whatley’s gubernatorial campaign, criticizing his Democratic rival and pushing for the GOP candidate in a highly contested election in November.

Whatley won the GOP primary in North Carolina to unseat Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, and now faces former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper in the general election.

“Roy Cooper is one of these people who clearly cares more about foreign countries than the United States of America,” said Vance. “You can see the love in his voice when he talks about protecting illegal immigrants. You won’t hear that love when he talks about the people in this room.”

Michael Whatley is a GOP member of the US Senate from North Carolina. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

AFTER ROUGH 2025 ELECTION, TOP GOP HOPEFUL SAYS CONSERVATISM’S FUTURE HITS WITH SOUND ECONOMIC MESSAGE.

“You hear the love in his voice when he talks about sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the war in Ukraine,” the vice president added.

A spokesperson for Cooper responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, blasting Whatley and denying allegations that he is protecting criminals.

“Roy Cooper is the only person who has spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them in prison as attorney general, and signing tougher criminal laws and stricter pretrial bail policies as governor,” a spokesperson told Fox. “DC insider and Big Oil lobbyist Michael Whatley wishes to undermine his support of hundreds of millions for cuts to local law enforcement and public safety efforts that keep North Carolinians safe.”

Vice President JD Vance was in North Carolina on Friday. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Vance held the event after answering a question from Fox News Digital about the progress made by the fraud task force launched in January under the Department of Justice and the specific states he planned to target, in addition to Minnesota.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

“We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to figure out what it looks like and what we’ve done in the Trump administration,” Vance said. “And the president has given us the power to do this, to look across the country at how the American people have been defrauded for so many years.”

The vice president revealed that there was “at least” $19 billion in fraud found in and around Minneapolis under the Trump administration.

Preston Mizell is a reporter for Fox News. News tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and X @MizellPreston