WASHINGTON — Radio host Sid Rosenberg said he “charmed” Vice President JD Vance during a White House meeting Thursday, seeking to repair ties with Jewish conservatives weeks after criticizing the potential 2028 Republican frontrunner for not taking a strong enough stance on Israel.
Rosenberg wrote on X that he “enjoyed” nearly 30 minutes with Vance and appreciated the “chance to get to know each other.” He also met with President Trump in the Oval Office.
Speaking later on 77 WABC’s “Cats & Cosby,” Rosenberg said he and Vance “hit it off” and predicted “many, many more meetings about very substantial things in the very near future.”
“I think I charmed him more,” Rosenberg joked. “I did most of the talking, and he spent most of the time laughing.”
Ahead of the meeting, Rosenberg told Politico that he intended to press Vance on his relationship with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the question of US aid to Israel. Rosenberg also said the vice president had asked for the meeting.
“Right now, the general feeling is JD is going to be the nominee in 2028, and he’s got a couple of loose ends that he’s got to tie up to make this really work,” said a New York source familiar with concerns within the Jewish community. “And probably number one on the list is the conservative Jewish vote.”
The source said donors and other influential Jewish leaders remain uneasy about Vance’s comments suggesting a potential divide between the United States and Israel, as well as his friendship with Carlson.
“Sid would be a logical person to call in to try to help figure this out,” the source added.
Rosenberg has argued that Vance might have to distance himself from Carlson to ease concerns among Jewish Republicans, particularly because of the podcaster’s criticism of the US-Israel alliance.
Earlier this month, Vance spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas, where Rosenberg sharply criticized the vice president’s remarks.
“My honest assessment of Vice President Vance tonight? He was not strong enough on Israel. In fact, he referred to Israel as ONE of our best allies. One of?” Rosenberg wrote on X.
“He had a chance to hammer @TuckerCarlson and @megynkelly but instead spent all his time defending @joerogan over Nick Fuentes,” wrote Rosenberg, a former sports commentator who now hosts the political program “Sid & Friends in the Morning.”
“He also blamed immigration for a lot of the antisemitism in our country today,” Rosenberg wrote of Vance. “Silly. Look, he’s still better than any Democrat candidate but I don’t think he wowed the STRONG Jews in the room tonight.”
Last year, conservatives at the Heritage Foundation were divided after Carlson featured Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and antisemitic livestreamer, on his podcast.
The broader conservative movement has also faced internal divisions in recent years over US support for Israel.
During his Thursday interview on WABC, Rosenberg again said he was closer to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and considered Rubio a stronger potential Republican presidential candidate for 2028. Still, he said Vance was someone he and other Jewish Republicans could “work with.”
“I leave this meeting today, one of many between me and the vice president, I guarantee it, and I leave this meeting today feeling like I can work with this guy,” Rosenberg said. “We can work with this guy, and he is willing to listen and he’s aware, and I don’t think by any stretch that JD Vance hates Israel.”
Representatives for the vice president’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
