Ideas

J. D. Vance’s Disingenuous Defense of Tucker Carlson

The vice president’s relationship with a conspiracy theorist is, at bottom, a political partnership, not a personal friendship.

First published in The Atlantic on September 5, 2026.

by Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic

September 10, 2026 | reading time: 5 Min.

When J. D. Vance was asked at a press conference on Thursday about his relationship with Tucker Carlson, the media personality and ultra-right-wing conspiracy theorist, he displayed a surprising side of himself: human, vulnerable, almost touchingly naive.