JD Vance Schools NBC’s Kristen Welker During Heated Meet the Press Exchange [WATCH]

Vice President J.D. Vance appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, where he fielded questions from host Kristen Welker about the FBI raid on former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home and the administration’s approach toward Russia.

The interview aired in full on Sunday and drew attention for Vance’s pointed responses.

Welker pressed Vance on whether the recent FBI search of Bolton’s home was politically motivated.

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She cited critics who suggested the raid was retaliatory.

Vance responded by dismissing that characterization.

He argued that the individuals raising those concerns were largely the same figures who previously pushed efforts to prosecute President Donald Trump.

Vance rejected the premise that the raid was an act of revenge.

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The interview then turned to foreign policy, where Welker asked Vance about Russia’s continued military operations in Ukraine.

She questioned what pressure the administration was applying on Moscow if sanctions were not being newly imposed.

“Where exactly is the pressure on Russia to do anything if you’re not right now imposing sanctions?! How do you get them to a place of getting to the table with Zelensky and stopping them from dropping bombs?” Welker asked.

Vance responded by pointing to recent economic measures taken by the Trump administration, including tariffs applied to India, one of Russia’s key trade partners.

“Kristen, I think that question betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of where we are. The President has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example, the secondary tariffs on India, to make it harder for Russians to get rich from their oil economy,” Vance said.

He continued, “He’s tried to make it clear Russia can try to be reinvited into the world economy if they stop the killing, but they’re going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing. The president has applied more economic pressure to the Russians to stop this war than Biden did in three years.”

When Welker attempted to interject, Vance pressed forward, stressing that the administration’s strategy involves both economic measures and active negotiation.

“So the idea is that we’re not doing anything; we are already doing things right now. And this is how negotiation works! You do something, you talk to the parties, you try to see if there’s a meeting of minds,” he said.

“Again, we believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides just in the last few weeks. We believe we’re going to be successful, or we’re going to hit a brick wall. And if we hit a brick wall, then we’re going to continue this process of negotiation of applying leverage.”

🚨 Holy CRAP: Kristen Welker is embarrassing herself. She’s accusing President Trump of not putting any pressure on Putin. Does she live on the same planet as we do? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/T42vmF1njq

JD VANCE RESPONDS: “The President has applied more economic pressure to the Russians…

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 24, 2025

The exchange highlighted ongoing debate over the administration’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Vance underscored that the White House’s current policy differs from the approach taken under Joe Biden, pointing specifically to economic pressure as a key part of its strategy.

The vice president’s appearance on Meet the Press marked one of his highest-profile network interviews since taking office.

The discussion focused on both domestic and foreign policy, and his direct exchanges with Welker are expected to continue generating attention in the days ahead.