In a recent Fox News interview, Vice President JD Vance defended his stance on the decision to strike the Houthis in Yemen, asserting that, despite expressing skepticism in leaked communications, he was not overruled. Vance clarified that the conversations were aimed at strategizing how to effectively communicate the rationale to the public. He highlighted the critical nature of ensuring allied countries contribute to defense efforts and warned of possible repercussions on trade and oil prices resulting from the decision, voicing concerns about the public's understanding of the administration's actions.
"If you go back to when those messages were leaked, what we were doing is having a private strategic conversation about how to message this to the American people."
"It's always important to explain what you're actually doing, how to ensure that some of, frankly, our allied countries that are underspending on their own defense are actually carrying some of the burden."
"[Three] percent of US trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn't understand this or why it's necessary."
"I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There's a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices."
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