The hour of Vance - and the view from above

Donald Trump tracks every move. Talks, calls, feedback. JD Vance is the man who is supposed to end the war with Iran. And while he negotiates, he is being evaluated at the same time. Not publicly, but within the president’s inner circle. Trump asks how good Vance is. And he places a second question right next to it: how he compares to Marco Rubio.

Vance is therefore more than just a negotiator. He is a benchmark. And perhaps already a rival.

Never in this term has the vice president been as much in focus as in these days. Two foreign trips, talks in Islamabad, contacts with Pakistan’s military leadership, a direct line to General Asim Munir. At the same time domestic pressure, criticism from within his own ranks, and an open conflict between Trump and Pope Leo XIV, in which Vance himself stands as a Catholic.

Trump calls him up to a dozen times during the first round of talks in Pakistan. He wants to see progress. And he makes clear how he will judge the outcome. If a deal is reached, he claims the success. If it fails, the responsibility lies with Vance. He says it half jokingly. But only half.

In the White House, Vance is being demonstratively backed. Communications Director Steven Cheung calls him indispensable. Standing alongside him are Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Three names that show how tightly this process is being controlled.

For Vance, this is a double movement. He publicly defends a war he long viewed skeptically in private. He carries Trump’s line outward while at the same time setting his own accents. In Georgia, in front of a half empty arena, he is confronted with heckling. “You are killing children,” someone shouts. Vance rejects the criticism, points to the Biden administration. Later he himself says young voters do not like this policy. “I understand that,” he says.

He also remains cautious in the dispute with the Pope. He says he has respect, that he likes him, that he admires him. And adds that the Pope must be careful when speaking about theology. A remark that causes irritation even within his own ranks. John Thune publicly asks whether that is not exactly his role.

Meanwhile, the political focus shifts. It was supposed to be about the economy, about prices, about everyday life. Instead, the war defines the situation. Rising gasoline prices increase the pressure. Approval ratings are falling. For Trump and Vance, ending the war thus becomes a question of their own political future.

Vance travels, negotiates, makes calls. Fifty-two hours and still: Pakistan without a final result. Before that, Budapest, backing Viktor Orban, an election that is lost. Vance says it was expected. The effort, he insists, was still worth it. What remains is a picture growing sharper by the day. A vice president who has to deliver. A president who is watching. And a question that is no longer just about foreign policy.

If this deal comes, it will decide more than just the end of a war.