A Fox News interview on Monday night, April 13 2026, has Vice President JD Vance facing criticism after he appeared to admit the Trump administration is engaged in the same type of “economic terrorism” he accused Iran of committing.
The slip-up occurred during an exchange with Bret Baier about the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, which Vance defended as retaliation for Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.
“As the president of the United States showed, two can play at that game. And if the Iranians are going to try to engage in economic terrorism, we’re going to abide by a simple principle that no Iranian ships are getting out either. We know that’s a big deal to them,” Vance told Baier.
Critics quickly pointed out the logical trap: Vance labeled Iran’s blockade as “economic terrorism” while describing the American response in virtually the same terms, effectively conceding that Washington was doing exactly what he condemned Tehran for.
Media observers labeled it a “Kinsley gaffe” — journalist Michael Kinsley’s term for when a politician accidentally tells the truth. Kinsley’s original formulation holds that “a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth — some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.”
The vice president’s phrasing — “two can play at that game” — suggested equivalence rather than distinction, undermining the administration’s position that its blockade is defensive and proportional while Iran’s is not.
Within hours of the broadcast, the video spread rapidly across X and other platforms, with a HuffPost Threads post highlighting Vance’s apparent acknowledgment of the administration’s involvement in economic terrorism gaining significant traction.
The unforced error highlights the rhetorical tightrope the administration walks as it tries to justify aggressive economic measures against Iran while maintaining the moral high ground. Critics argue it reveals a double standard: condemning adversaries for actions the U.S. itself mirrors.
The gaffe comes at an already difficult moment for Vance. He led a U.S. delegation to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials aimed at negotiating a permanent ceasefire. Those meetings in Islamabad ended without a deal after 21 hours of negotiations, and CNN reported that U.S. officials were discussing details for a potential second round of in-person meetings as the administration scrambled to salvage diplomatic progress.
Just days earlier, he traveled to Hungary to campaign for close Trump ally Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, only to watch his preferred candidate lose to opponent Péter Magyar.
During the same Fox News appearance, Vance also addressed President Trump’s ongoing criticism of Pope Leo XIV, who has emerged as a vocal critic of the U.S. war in Iran. Vance downplayed the president’s attacks on the pontiff and urged the Vatican to stay out of policy matters.
“I certainly think that, in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality … and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance told Baier, adding that the pope should focus on “what’s going on in the Catholic Church.”
That response has drawn its own round of criticism from religious leaders and foreign policy analysts who say the administration is trying to silence international voices of dissent.
Political observers note that Vance has struggled with public messaging throughout his tenure, often finding himself caught between defending the president’s positions and managing their political fallout. The interview offered a fresh example of those tensions.
The incident has energized administration critics who have long argued that Trump’s Iran policy lacks a coherent strategy. With ceasefire negotiations stalled and domestic political pressure mounting, the vice president’s verbal stumble adds another complication to an already fraught situation.
