Vice President JD Vance took a pause while praising the president’s ‘military style’ of leadership in an interview with Lara Trump on Saturday.
The president’s daughter-in-law asked the vice president about his leadership style, when Vance pivoted his answer to praise President Donald Trump.
That praise then turned into an awkward moment – as he touched upon the age-old criticism of Trump’s lack of military experience.
On Fox News’s ‘My View with Lara Trump,’ she asked Vance what lessons from his time in the military he still uses in his current job.
Lara asked whether the vice president still employs his Marine Corps experience in his Washington D.C. role.
‘In ways big and small, actually,’ Vance responded before turning to praise the Commander in Chief.
‘It would not have shocked me if I had learned, after knowing him, that your father-in-law was in the Marine Corps,’ Vance noted.
The vice president explained that while the president didn’t serve in the Marines, he exhibits a Marine Corps-like approach by delegating effectively and confidently trusting select individuals.
JD Vance interviewed by Lara Trump on Fox News
President Trump’s daughter-in-law interviews Vice President JD Vance on her show ‘My View with Lara Trump on Saturday, September 6, 2025
Vice President JD Vance served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007
He described the president’s philosophy as surrounding himself with skilled people, issuing clear directions, having regular check-ins, and granting them the autonomy to execute tasks as directed.
This leadership style, which isn’t exactly hands-off but involves trusting one’s team, was influenced by the Marine Corps and is a trait observed in the finest leaders he served under, Vance noted.
The vice president’s statement acknowledging the president’s non-military background reignited criticisms about Trump’s lack of military experience.
One person pointed out the awkward interview moment: ‘Nothing says “Marine Corps leadership” like bone spurs and five deferments.
One criticism sarcastically noted, “But sure, let’s pretend dodging Vietnam makes you a hero, while the real cowards are the ones calling out the endless war machine. Classic MAGA deflection.”
Another said: ‘A true military man would be repulsed by a draft dodger,’ referencing that Trump did not enter the military field during the Vietnam War.
But others staunchly supported Vance’s comparison – and said that Trump’s leadership is indeed as disciplined as the Marines.
One wrote: ‘Trump’s leadership shows the discipline and decisiveness often associated with Marines.’
JD Vance and Donald Trump during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
Lara Trump, JD Vance, Donald Trump, and Melania Trump during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024
Trump attended the New York Military Academy in his youth, but did not enlist, and also avoided being drafted into the Vietnam War due to a diagnosis of bone spurs, which has been questioned throughout his political career.
The vice president served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 after graduating from high school. He was a military journalist, and deployed to Iraq in 2005.
Trump has clashed with military leaders throughout his political career, including a pair of notable Marines.
Retired General John Kelly, one of Trump’s chiefs of staff during his first term, has likened the president to a fascist and dictator.
In a 2024 interview with the New York Times, Kelly claimed that Trump was ‘certainly an authoritarian,’ adding that he ‘admires people who are dictators — he has said that.’
James Mattis, another retired Marine Corps General, was Trump’s Secretary of Defense in his first term.
Mattis told the Atlantic in 2020 that ‘Donald Trump is the first president in [his] lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide.’
