J.D.Vance 'Embarrassed' Over Past Criticism of 'Loving' Donald Trump and Accuses Media of Making Prez 'Look Like A Different Human Being'
J.D. Vance has opened up about why his feelings towards Donald Trump have drastically shifted since working alongside him.
June 18 2026, Published 8:59 a.m. ET
J.D. Vance has opened up about working with Donald Trump and how his feelings towards the president have drastically shifted since working with him.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the vice-president, 41, says seeing a change behind the scenes offered a new perspective over the Commander-in-Chief, whom he previously dubbed "America's Hitler."
'He Really Likes Making People Happy'
Vance dubbed Trump as 'warm' and 'loving' in new interview.
In a new interview to promote his new book Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, Vance admits he "didn't know him well" at the time of his negative comments surrounding the president, but having secured a front row seat to his presidency — when he became Trump's righthand man in January 2025 — his opinion has dramatically altered.
Vance said: "Donald Trump is much different as a human being than the media makes him out to be.
"He's very warm. He's a very loving person to his kids, to his grandkids. He's incredibly generous.
"If you see Donald Trump in the Oval Office, it's like he has to give you a gift.
"He's one of these people who really likes hospitality. He really likes making people happy."
President Is 'Super Smart'
Vance says Trump is far more intelligent than people think.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, he continued: "I had no understanding of that from him from the outside.
"What I would see is, you know, clips of him arguing with a journalist and that was it.
"And that gives you a very very one-dimensional view of a person.
"And so yeah, I definitely from the inside have seen a much more multi-dimensional figure."
Back in 2016, Vance claimed that Trump, 80, was portrayed as being "dumb" but this was the opposite of what he encountered upon working with him.
He described him as being "super smart" and somebody who reads a lot.
'Guarantee' Trump Would Score High On IQ Test
The vice-president claims Trump's IQ is higher than past presidents.
Vance blamed the media for "convincing" him that Trump was not a smart person — but he said he could now "guarantee" that he would score better in an IQ test compared to most, if not all, of the previous U.S. Presidents.
During the interview, host Stephen Bartlett quizzed Vance over his scathing 2016 interview with The Atlantic, in which he explicitly characterized Trump as a dangerous demagogue who was ruthlessly taking advantage of the struggling white working class.
At the time, Vance argued forcefully that a Trump presidency would result in catastrophic failure and structural ruin for the conservative movement.
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Vance claimed he feared his marriage to wife Usha may ended during the past 12 years.
When presented with these historical quotes, Vance executed a calculated pivot, entirely disavowing his former intellectual posture.
He explained: "I believed it when I wrote it, and reading it now I am almost embarrassed that I wrote it because it was so obviously absurd."
Elsewhere in the chat, Vance reflected on his "chaotic" relationship with wife Usha as he revealed whether the pair have ever been to couple’s therapy.
He described her as his ‘best friend’ but admitted there have been many times during their 12-year marriage where he thought their relationship would end.
Vance blamed his own "avoidant attachment style" for their problems in the early stages of their relationship.
Asked by Bartlett whether their pair have attended couples’ counseling, the vice president said they had not. He explained he has been before but finds it "way too uncomfortable to talk to a stranger."
