President Donald Trump has purportedly been delivering “snide, annoyed comments,” regarding Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for their failure to vigorously support his conflict with Iran, according to a fresh report suggesting growing divisions inside the administration.
Sources within the White House informed Zeteo that Trump has been discreetly expressing disapproval of both figures for lacking enthusiasm “as enthusiastic” regarding the military operations that commenced with attacks on February 28, 2026. The president’s evident displeasure with his 41-year-old vice president represents a significant change in their dynamic, with certain White House officials reportedly surprised by Trump’s attitude.
A single official sent a text stating that Vance “just opposes” conflict with Iran and felt “worried about the success” of Operation Epic Fury, which has not achieved the regime overthrow Trump had pledged. The operation has rather driven up gasoline costs and caused his approval numbers to plummet.
Vance, who served as a “skeptical” presence before the attacks based on accounts from senior White House officials, has failed to champion the conflict on social platforms or television news with comparable intensity he has demonstrated for other administration goals. This hesitation contrasts sharply with the anti-war stance he promoted throughout the 2024 campaign, during which he stated in The Wall Street Journal that Trump “won’t recklessly send Americans to fight overseas.”
Vance remained conspicuously quiet on February 28, when the attacks commenced. In preceding days, he had informed The Washington Post there was “no chance” of an extended Middle Eastern confrontation should the U.S. proceed—a forecast that has not held up well as the conflict continues into its second month without conclusion.
During questioning about his counsel to the president by an Associated Press reporter on March 13, Vance avoided answering, asserting that revealing his opinions might somehow result in his imprisonment because of classified information rules.
The White House categorically rejected the Zeteo report. “President Trump has full confidence in his entire exceptional national security team. This ‘story’ is totally false—Vice President Vance and DNI Gabbard are important members of the president’s team and their work continues to serve him and this country well,” stated White House spokesman Davis Ingle.
Gabbard similarly provoked Trump’s displeasure following her refusal to support the administration’s assertion that Iran posed an “imminent threat” while testifying to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Both officials possess extensive records of resisting American military involvement in the Middle East.
The vice president’s situation may advantage Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 54, who has surfaced as a potential successor to Trump’s MAGA coalition. Rubio has assumed a progressively prominent position as both secretary of state and acting national security adviser, receiving lavish commendation from the president as possibly “the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the United States.”
According to NBC News, Trump surveyed donors at Mar-a-Lago on February 28 regarding Vance compared to Rubio. The attendees clapped more enthusiastically for Rubio—”It was almost unanimous for Marco,” one participant informed the outlet. The 79-year-old president has consistently refused to prioritize Vance over Rubio for the 2028 nomination, notwithstanding his prediction last August that Vance would be “most likely” the front-runner.
Trump is currently dispatching Vance to Pakistan for directing peace negotiations with Iran, an assignment that may further complicate the vice president’s political prospects. The discussions are anticipated to center on restoring access to the Strait of Hormuz, which was accessible prior to the strikes commencing. Iran has indicated it would rather negotiate with Vance than Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, whom Tehran has charged with “backstabbing.”
Trump’s military operations in Venezuela and Iran contradict what he pledged MAGA supporters approaching the 2024 election. Vance currently confronts the difficulty of staying faithful to a president who requires absolute loyalty while avoiding the alienation of his own non-interventionist supporters before a prospective 2028 campaign.