JD Vance joins ‘The Five’

[0:05] So you heard that right. Yes, Vice President J.D. Vance is here. He will be joining us for the entire [0:11] hour, and we're going to have a lot of fun. There's a lot of news to get to as well, including [0:15] his new book that is out now, and we have a whole block on that coming up. But first, let's dive [0:19] into the big topic of the day. He's been talking about it as well. President Trump balancing [0:23] diplomacy and deterrence at the G7, advancing a peace deal with Iran while putting the regime [0:29] on notice that any nuclear breakout would be met with forceful consequences. And if they do, [0:35] they suffer unbelievable consequences. Not just a little bit like, I won't even tell you the [0:45] consequences, but the consequences are the ultimate consequences. They will not develop, [0:51] purchase, buy, or any other thing. They're not going to acquire a nuclear weapon. If they do, [0:57] all hell will rain down on them, and they're not going to do that. [1:01] And while the details of the deal remain under wraps, President Trump is promising the American [1:06] people won't be kept in the dark for long. [1:09] I'll not only release it, I'll probably have a press conference and read it to you word by word [1:15] so that the press covers it accurately, because it's a very important document. And unlike Obama, [1:24] who could have destroyed the Middle East with a horrible JCPOA, it is the worst agreement. [1:33] That was a road to a nuclear weapon. Mine is a wall against a nuclear weapon. [1:37] But the Democrats remain opposed, no matter what. [1:41] The word that comes to mind to me is incompetence. I just keep thinking that this has just been, [1:47] it's just the height of incompetence with this government. [1:51] The president doesn't want you to see this agreement, because it is essentially a report [1:57] card on what a disaster this war has been. [2:02] If you were president, you'd never start this war. [2:04] Absolutely not. Absolutely not. [2:09] Okay. Vice President Vance, thanks for being here. [2:11] And we're excited about your book. We're going to talk about it. [2:14] You've been on air a lot today. And I guess maybe start off with the question of [2:18] why can't you or won't you release that document now? [2:23] Yeah. So there's some diplomatic procedure at work here where the Qataris and the Pakistanis [2:29] have been mediating this entire negotiation with the Iranians. And they've asked us effectively [2:33] to sequence the way that we roll this out. I frankly don't understand it. We'd be happy [2:37] to release the agreement today or tomorrow. We may release it as late as Friday. But, [2:41] you know, fundamentally, in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't matter. Because whether [2:44] it's tomorrow, whether it's Friday, people are going to see what's in this agreement very soon. [2:48] Friday, of course, is the formal signing ceremony. And they kick off these negotiations. [2:51] And that's when they've asked us to delay it. We're trying to push that forward. [2:55] But look, the agreement's actually very simple. It says, one, Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. [3:01] Two, the Straits of Hormuz are open. And number three, there are all of these benefits contemplated [3:07] that the Iranians can get if they behave. If they stop developing terrorism, if they stop funding [3:12] terrorism, if they stop supporting the rebuilding of the nuclear arms program, they actually can get [3:18] some real benefits. If they don't do any of that stuff, they don't get anything. And I think that's [3:21] where a lot of the misunderstandings come from, is you've got Iranian propagandists out there saying, [3:26] well, we get all these things. And they leave out the fact that they only get those things if they [3:30] fundamentally transform themselves as a country. So the United States wins either way. As the [3:34] president said, either they get nothing, we destroy their nuclear program and the Straits of Hormuz are [3:39] open, or they fundamentally transform themselves. And that's a big win, too. It's really up to them. [3:44] I'm going to ask you one last quick one. Well, maybe it's quick. It's a quick question. I don't [3:48] know about the answer. So it's a 60-day period that you would look at and see, are they complying? [3:54] Why not delay the photo op of you next to them until that moment so that you know that they've [4:01] actually complied instead of rewarding them with a moment with you before then? [4:05] You know, I think the president thinks this way. I certainly think this way that [4:09] we're going to sit down and actually talk about these things. And he doesn't see a photo [4:13] opportunity as rewarding them. Look, they're going to have to do some serious compliance and some very [4:17] good things for the Americans in order for them to get any of the benefits of the bargain. So [4:22] I don't see it as a reward to take a photograph. I see it as we're going to get very serious about [4:27] these negotiations. And what I'm trying to do is send a signal that the entire American government [4:31] is actually oriented towards getting a good outcome for the American people. I kind of want [4:35] to figure out how real are they? How fake are they? They're making a lot of promises. Are those [4:39] promises actually going to be met with real action? That's why I'm going to show up to the [4:44] negotiation. That's why I showed up to Pakistan a couple of months ago. And we're going to stay [4:47] involved in this process throughout. You've racked up the miles. [4:50] Indeed. Too bad I don't get frequent flyer miles. I know. I know. Too bad you don't. [4:53] I travel in style. We'll take it around the table. Jesse, you're next. [4:56] Well, from what I understand of the deal, it's the exact opposite of the Iran deal, [4:59] where proxies and missiles are covered. Because if they fund the proxies, then they don't get the [5:07] economic benefits. And the missiles are covered because 85% of them have been destroyed. And 90% [5:12] of the industrial base has been destroyed. So they've been disarmed. They can't rearm because [5:16] they can't manufacture more weapons. And now they can't really project power outside of their borders [5:22] because they have no air force and they have no Navy. And they don't pose an imminent threat to the [5:26] United States anymore. And they have no air defense. So we have full air superiority. [5:31] Also, the difference between the Obama deal is they cannot build a nuclear weapon. [5:36] They can't enrich at all. And they can't stockpile because they can't access the uranium. [5:43] The dust is so deep down there. The only people that can get it is us. And if we even just let it sit [5:51] there in a uranium grave for eternity, it's already destroyed their nuclear program. [5:59] All the centrifuges are shattered. Their nuclear scientists are all dead. [6:03] So if we do nothing, it's already accomplished the president's main objective, which is prevent [6:08] them from ever getting a nuclear weapon. Everything that he laid out the day after the bombing started [6:13] has been achieved. This does what the Obama deal doesn't do. And if they screw around and make [6:20] mischief again, we could still reinstitute the blockade. We could still hit him again. So [6:24] that's fine. And you've already seen oil go down into the 70s. Gas prices are, what, a couple cents [6:29] away from the $3 range. Stock market at all time high. And inflation should taper off as the straight [6:36] opens throughout the summer. So I think what Jessica really wants to say is thank you. [6:42] Jessica, do you want to say thank you? [6:43] Thank you for being here. [6:44] It's very, very cool to have you with us, especially when we're discussing this topic [6:50] that you're running point on. And I'm a little uncomfortable about what I'm about to do, [6:55] but I've been amping myself up all day. [6:57] So, no, it's not going to... [6:59] Let me call the Secret Service. [7:00] They're already here, like 50 of you. You know, there's been leaked versions of this MOU, [7:08] not just in the Iranian press, in the Saudi press, the Pakistani press. The American press has [7:13] gotten their hands on some details as well. You know, the Wall Street Journal has it that [7:16] Iran can immediately sell oil and that they're going to get some sanctions relief right off the [7:21] bat. That was something that we heard was not going to happen. So they have an incentive to get [7:25] this going by Friday. And there's going to be money changing hands. In the copies of the MOU [7:29] that we've seen, again, leaked, we have this $300 billion fund. And I saw you last night, [7:34] you were with Sean talking about it. He said, well, it's not our money. It's, you know, [7:38] Gulf nation money, our partners' money. But that's still a $300 billion payday. And that's [7:43] something that they desperately want to have. The punting on the nuclear program for the 60-day [7:48] negotiation, you know, that's the real tough stuff of this, right? Like, that's the meat of what we [7:53] really need to get done. And you say the JCPOA, you know, didn't have anything about that. It's in [7:58] the preamble of the JCPOA that Iran will cease all efforts to have a nuclear weapon and enrichment [8:04] will be held at about 3%. And that's what happened. Well, they can't enrich now because they can't get [8:07] the dust, Jessica. Also in the- Barack Obama never buried it. Well, the vice president is here. [8:14] Don't interrupt me. And then it'll be over really fast. My part. I wasn't interrupting him. I was [8:19] interrupting you. I meant me. Be polite for our guests. Okay. I'll try my best. And, you know, [8:23] people who are disappointed with this deal, and it's not just Democrats, it's the whole spectrum of [8:27] Republicans from, you know, MAGA America First Republicans to traditional neocon Republicans [8:33] who are concerned that it doesn't actually get rid of this ballistic missile program, [8:37] the proxy forces, the regime change, which were the initial promises of this war. And I think also [8:44] that big Axios report last night was meaningful, where they said that CI Director Ratcliffe, Rubio, [8:50] and Hegseth, based on American intelligence, were doubting the kind of results that they thought we [8:55] could get out of this deal. Yeah. So, Jessica, let me address a couple of things, because I think [9:00] you're making the same mistake, unfortunately, that a lot of the Iranian propagandists make when [9:04] they talk about this, which is they talk about the benefits to the Iranians without any of the [9:09] things the Iranians would have to give up and have to change in order to get those benefits. So, [9:12] you mentioned a $300 billion fund. I got to be very clear about this. Not a single cent of American [9:18] money under any circumstance, no matter what the Iranians do, goes to Iran. Not a single cent of [9:23] American money. But they got other money. Here's what this says. This says, for example, [9:27] let's say that the United Arab Emirates, who have been a great ally, let's say they want to invest [9:31] in a power plant in Iran. What this deal provides is that if the Iranians have done everything we [9:37] require them to do, then we will allow the United Arab Emirates to do that, because they can't do [9:42] that right now without American approval. So, we're fundamentally saying if the Iranians [9:46] transform how they interact with the world, we will transform how the world economy interacts with [9:51] Iran. But if they don't do any of that stuff, they don't get any of these benefits. So, [9:55] I think all the Democrats who are saying, well, the Iranians get all these things, [9:59] they don't get anything unless there's been a complete transformation of how Iran interacts [10:06] with the world. That would be a huge win for America. And to Jesse's point, if they don't do [10:10] any of these things, we don't give them anything. They don't receive anything. Their nuclear program [10:15] is still destroyed. Their military is still destroyed. Their missile program and industrial [10:19] base is still destroyed. We fundamentally have transformed the Middle East. Whether they comply or [10:23] not, this is just icing on the cake, assuming they do all the right things. [10:27] Can I just take a look? And then, obviously, it goes to Greg. So, I guess two things. One, [10:31] there's already been reporting that the Qataris have been paying off the Iranians to get them to... [10:36] I've seen the report, by the way. And we have a great relationship with the Qataris. [10:39] No money has exchanged hands. Iran has not gotten a single dollar from any Gulf partners. [10:43] Okay. And again, lots of criticism from the Republican side of this as well. It is a [10:49] bipartisan concern. Well, I think, look, some of the criticism comes from the fact that if Donald [10:54] Trump were elected the supreme leader of Iran, the Democrats would still say that the United States [11:00] had lost this. There is a fundamental refusal to acknowledge how much has changed in the Middle [11:04] East over the last few months. And again, that assumes that nothing else happens. But if this deal [11:10] actually comes to fruition, meaning if the Iranians actually comply with it, we have transformed the [11:15] Middle East in a way that is amazingly beneficial for both the American people, but also the people [11:20] of the Gulf. Greg Gutfeld, it's your turn. Well, I think I speak for a lot of people that I find a lot [11:26] of these details really tedious. I mean, the results are already kind of obvious. These guys are going [11:34] to figure it out. And if you show the plan to the media, they're going to criticize it. If you don't [11:39] show it to them, they're going to criticize it. You can't win. Worst of all, the media and the Dems [11:44] are the last people on earth to talk about a lack of transparency. They covered the Biden White [11:51] House with a tarp. They ran interference on his administration, which was a Trojan horse, [11:57] for some of the most radical policies in the history of this country, from the border to biology. [12:02] So save me your complaints. And by the way, you think that Trump doesn't want to talk about it? [12:08] He talks about everything. Obviously, this is a procedural thing. But again, who are you to pick [12:13] on this plan after looking the other way for almost five decades? This has been a violent open [12:19] sore on the planet forever. And Trump lanced it. And now you're complaining about what's in the [12:24] little deal? What's going on here? Blah, blah, blah. I already know some things. I can see things with [12:31] my own eyes. The Iran military is decimated. Infrastructure is gone. The economy is in a [12:37] shambles, which means, as Jesse points out, the world's biggest state sponsor of terror isn't in [12:43] operation. One way to stop an agent of chaos is putting their entire existence in chaos. And Trump [12:50] kind of already knows. He does that all the time. He's like, if somebody's messing with him, [12:54] you just make their life difficult. Did that with Iran. You can complain all you want. But that is a [12:58] concrete success story. You can see with your eyes. Iran isn't sponsoring any terror. They can [13:03] barely sponsor a Little League team. I've asked.