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EXCLUSIVE - Vice President JD Vance: They Tricked Me About Donald Trump, But Everything Changed!
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The Diary Of A CEO

EXCLUSIVE - Vice President JD Vance: They Tricked Me About Donald Trump, But Everything Changed!

⏱ 108 min video · 4 min read18 Jun 2026Worth watching
TL;DR
JD Vance sits down with Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett for a wide-ranging conversation covering his impoverished Appalachian childhood, his mother's heroin addiction, his grandmother as his anchor, his evolution from calling Trump 'America's Hitler' to becoming Vice President, and his views on immigration, the Iraq War, and the Iran ceasefire.
Key points
1
Vance grew up in extreme instability in working-class Ohio with a drug-addicted mother, three father figures by age 12, and his grandmother as his sole anchor — he credits her with keeping him on the right path through sheer willpower.
2
In 2016 private messages, Vance called Trump 'a cynical asshole or America's Hitler' — he now says he was wrong because he assumed institutions were functioning and that Trump would fail, and he changed his mind based on evidence.
3
On immigration, Vance argues division is not caused by politicians demonizing groups but by populations changing too fast — he frames the issue as a community cohesion problem rather than a racial one, though he acknowledges Trump's blunt style differs from his own.
4
Vance is openly angry at George W. Bush for exploiting America's patriotic reservoir to justify the Iraq War with false premises, arguing this damages the social contract between citizens and their government.
5
Vance describes the Iran ceasefire announced during the recording as a genuine peace deal, saying Trump learned from Iraq by defining narrow objectives — he expresses confidence it will not become a forever war.
Key arguments
→
People from chaotic backgrounds who succeed almost always have one stabilizing anchor figure — a grandparent, teacher, or mentor — and that single relationship appears to be the key differentiating factor according to child psychology research Vance cites.
→
Vance argues that charitable interpretation of political opponents — understanding why they hold a position rather than assuming malice — is not just a moral stance but a practical tool for effective leadership and negotiation.
→
On avoidant attachment formed in childhood: Vance says self-awareness rather than therapy was his path forward, noting that therapy felt too self-referential and encouraged blame rather than personal agency — though he acknowledges this approach may not work for everyone.
Notable quotes

“I thought Donald Trump would be a failed president. He was not. I thought that America's institutions were fundamentally functioning. They were not. You always have to be able to acknowledge when you're right and when you're wrong.”

“My grandmother told me that if I kept on hanging out with this kid, she was going to run him over with her car. And then she said, 'JD, I promise you and no one will ever find out about it.'”

“There are all kinds of times during our 12-year marriage where I've just had this thought like, there's no way this is going to last — because she's taking the kids to the grocery store and I start thinking, oh my god, a drunk driver is going to have a head-on collision.”

Worth watching?
✅
Worth watching the full video?
Watch if you want the unfiltered personal backstory behind one of America's most polarising political figures — the childhood trauma sections are genuinely revealing and the immigration and foreign policy exchanges with Bartlett are more substantive than typical political interviews.
Topics
PoliticsJD Vance

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