On the first morning of the 2025 edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. (well, across the river from the capital, in National Harbor, Maryland, to be precise), the first guest following the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, and the invocation was the man who will no doubt be one of the high points of the event: Vice President JD Vance. He spoke with CPAC25 host Mercedes Schlapp and discussed a variety of topics at length. The discussion went on for a little under an hour and moved quickly through a wide range of topics.
I was sitting in the audience; here are some highlights.
The VP made a few comments on his recent travel agenda and how tiring it's been. Despite that, he seemed well-rested, upbeat, even chipper. Ah, the wonders of youth!
His key points:
The VP grinned widely as he made the point that it's only been a month since the inauguration. Plenty of people in the media, no doubt, feel the same way. This last month, the VP implied, has been something of a roller-coaster ride.
Vice President Vance, as we would expect, hit the former administration's immigration policies hard. He spoke of the Trump administration's early successes in this area, including the decrease in attempted crossings. He pointed out that they are trying to get more assets to Homeland Security and border czar Tom Homan's efforts, to get the repatriation efforts ramped up even more.
The vice president spoke at some length about Europe and expressed his concern that the Continent is having a crisis in individual rights, especially where free speech is concerned. He spoke further on Europe's immigration crisis; and how a strong Europe should have strong borders and strong national traditions.
On Ukraine, the vice president described President Trump's desire to end that war, citing the lives and property lost, and indicated that this is a priority in the administration's Europe policy.
The vice president also lauded President Trump as a leader, describing him as strong and decisive; at one point later in the discussion, the vice president noted that President Trump was a man who "says just what's on his mind," and how that's an unusual trait in a political leader.
The discussion went on to abortion and the overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, stating that it "put the (question) back where it belongs, in the hands of the voters." He made an interesting point on the demographic angle, noting that many younger Americans are having trouble with the financial side of starting a family. He went on to say that he and President Trump are focused on, as he said, "making Americans' lives better," that being a priority in the campaign and of the presidency.
See Related: JD Vance Skewers Media, Doubles Down Denouncing Germany's Anti-Free Speech Actions
Next, prompted by a question from Mrs. Schlapp, Vice President Vance spoke at some length on what he saw as the importance of family, both for him personally and for Americans in general. He was very animated when talking about his own family, and described vividly how his children rushed to the airplane window every time they landed in a new place, whether it be the southwestern desert or the Blue Ridge mountains.
We already knew to be a capable and engaging speaker Vice President Vance is of course. He tends to be informal, personable, and very, very well-informed; those traits were very much on display at CPAC.
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