by George Caldwell
Attendees at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday cheered Vice President JD Vance’s onstage interview.
One of Vance’s discussion topics in the interview was his casual form of communication, notably his jabs against opponents and his jokes on X.
Bodhi Miller, a native of Southern Maryland who attended CPAC, told The Daily Signal that this is something she appreciates in the vice president.
Vice President J.D. Vance delivers his message to young men in America at CPAC.
“My message to young men is don’t allow this broken culture to say you’re a bad person because you’re a man or because you like to tell a joke.”
A MUST WATCH! pic.twitter.com/hjN6BGj3JU
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) February 20, 2025
“I think that style of communication is great for the American people. I think the way he talks, the way he makes jokes, is not in any way bad at all,” Miller said.
Perhaps the biggest applause of the interview came when Vance revisited his criticism of Western European nations for their alleged infringements on free speech and elections.
The vice president also emphasized the need for Europe to return to the values it once shared with the United States and to stop out-of-control immigration.
That was appreciated by Rebecca Harary, an attendee from Palm Beach, Florida.
“It’s so missed. We’ve been guided down a path with the Democrat Party that is pulling us away from values that we’ve all grown up with, that we all have,” said Harary, “that we know are right, but are being told are wrong. But they’re not; they are right. Our values are correct. And it’s refreshing to be able to hear somebody who is in power now, as our vice president, to say the things that all of us want to hear again, that all of us know are truth.”
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: “We cannot rebuild Western civilization. We cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe by letting millions and millions of unvetted illegal migrants come into our country. It has to stop.
Thank God it stopped here. But it’s got to stop there.” pic.twitter.com/BSj0VDZ2ZB
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 20, 2025
Pawel, a Polish attendee who chose not to share his last name, appreciated some of Vance’s criticisms of European governments, but felt that he should have emphasized the threat of the Russian government more.
“I do agree that mass migration in Europe is not good for Europe. Poland itself is very strict about border and immigration laws. The rest of Europe, not necessarily. So, I see his point. I do want to say that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a great danger for Europe. Putin is a great danger for Poland. Putin did invade Ukraine.”
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George Caldwell is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal. R.E. Wermus contributed to this report.
Photo “VP J.D. Vance” by Mercedes Schlapp.