Vance addresses Israel skepticism and antisemitism concerns before Republican Jewish Coalition leaders in Las Vegas

Vance's appearance at the annual RJC summit — his first since attending as an Ohio Senate candidate in 2022 — came as a surprise to many in the pro-Israel community, according to Politico. The event was kept off the record to allow for what RJC CEO Matt Brooks called an "open and honest" conversation; reporters were held one floor below the room, CNN reported. RJC also extended invitations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz, but both were unable to attend, according to CNN.

In the moderated conversation, Vance described Israel's declining favorability among Americans under 40 as "some of the obvious elephants in the room." He said Republicans need to "articulate why this is in the best interest of the United States of America" and to "hook a relationship" on a "concrete alignment of interest" rather than rhetorical frames that, in his words, no longer have "the same purchase" with younger generations. Vance also directly condemned antisemitic theories including blood libel, saying Jew-hatred is "corrosive to the soul," and disavowed Nick Fuentes by implication, distinguishing him sharply from Joe Rogan.

The question of Tucker Carlson drew pointed exchanges. Coleman raised Carlson alongside Megyn Kelly, Rogan, and Fuentes as figures who have "platformed antisemites." Vance defended his engagement with those media personalities broadly, saying Republicans need "to be willing to go everywhere and bring our message anywhere," and drew a distinction between Rogan and Fuentes as "two very, very different categories of people." He did not further address or criticize Carlson by name.