Vice President JD Vance appeared on ABC’s “The View” on June 16, where he promoted his second book and weighed in on inflation, immigration and foreign policy.
Vance, a Middletown native and Cincinnati resident, discussed his memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” and his political priorities on the show. “Communion” explores Vance’s spiritual journey and conversion to Catholicism, which he did at a Cincinnati church in 2019.
Here are key takeaways from Vance’s appearance:
Vance on Iran: ‘A lot more work to do’
Vance’s appearance on “The View” came days before U.S. officials are expected to sign a June 19 peace deal to end the war in Iran.
“The View” hosts didn’t ask Vance many questions about the war in Iran, but the vice president said there is “a lot more work to do” on the conflict’s impact on affordability. Vance acknowledged that gas prices are too high but said the cost of oil has gone down, which he said should soon lower prices for gas, groceries and other goods.
The Ohio native said there is “a lot of work to do” to keep the administration’s promise to voters about affordability. But he said the administration has kept other pledges, including securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bringing up his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, which he said had been “forgotten” by politicians, Vance echoed President Donald Trump in saying there are now more factories being built and construction jobs.
Vance defends Trump on affordability ‘hoax,’ inflation comment
Some hosts on “The View” said Trump had called the issue of affordability a “hoax.” Vance denied that characterization, saying Trump meant the idea that his administration caused an affordability issue is a hoax.
Trump made the comments during a December 2025 rally in Pennsylvania, criticizing Democrats’ focus on affordability as a political attack.
“They use the word ‘affordability,’ and that’s their only word. They say, ‘affordability,’ and everyone says, ‘Oh, that must mean Trump has high prices.’ No, our prices are coming down tremendously,” the president said at the rally. “They have a new word. They always have a hoax.”
The U.S. Labor Department’s reported last week that the consumer price index ‒ a key inflation measure ‒ was 4.2% in May.
“The View” hosts also referenced Trump’s recent comments on inflation.
“The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation,” Trump said. “You know why? Because as soon as this war is over … when the war is over, it’s coming down, it’s going to come down like a rock.”
After Democrats accused Trump of not caring about the impact of inflation on Americans, the president argued that his comments were taken out of context. He told the New York Post that the inflation rate is good because it’s lower than anticipated.
“The numbers are going to be phenomenal because what’s showing is that despite the fact that we’re in a war, the numbers are much lower than anticipated, and when we’re out of that war, the numbers will be at lower numbers than they were even before it started,” he told the outlet.
Vance echoed Trump on “The View” and said the president meant that he loves that inflation will come down when war is over.
The vice president also argued that the Trump administration “inherited an affordability problem” from the Biden administration, during which inflation peaked at 9.1% in 2022.
Vance on immigration: ‘Catholic faith strikes the right balance’
Vance acknowledged, in his book and on “The View,” that he has struggled with immigration policy as a moral issue as vice president.
Although his views on immigration have differed with the Vatican’s in the past two years, Vance said “the Catholic faith strikes the right balance” on enforcement. The church teaches that countries have the right to control their borders, but that “we don’t want to dehumanize people” in the enforcement process, he said.
Since Trump took office, “The View” hosts said over 50 people have died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, numbers that were reported by ICE, and encouraged Vance to visit a detention center.
Vance walks back ‘childless cat ladies’ comment
As he did in his book, Vance said that his viral comment criticizing Democratic women as “childless cat ladies” was “boneheaded.” But he still thinks “our country has become more anti-family and more antichild,” and said it’s too difficult to travel with kids and bring them to nonchild-friendly spaces.
Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, have three children and are expecting their fourth in July. The hosts on “The View” gave Vance a show-branded onesie as a gift for their upcoming newborn.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: JD Vance defends Trump, immigration policies on ‘The View’
Reporting by Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
