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The jab at National Review wasn’t just for laughs—it signaled a broader point. While the publication has a long history in conservative circles, it has often been openly critical of President Trump and the MAGA movement, even though it has endorsed many of the same policy priorities.
WATCH:
Beyond the laughs, Vance used the platform to voice serious concerns about the judiciary’s expanding role in shaping immigration policy—directly clashing with Chief Justice John Roberts’ recent defense of judicial independence.
Last month, Roberts stated that the courts play an essential role in checking the executive branch. But Vance had a sharply different view.
“I thought that was a profoundly wrong sentiment,” Vance told columnist Ross Douthat on the Interesting Times podcast. “That’s one half of his job, the other half of his job is to check the excesses of his own branch.”
He argued that federal courts have repeatedly undermined the will of the American electorate by blocking immigration enforcement policies they voted for. “You cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement and the courts tell the American people they’re not allowed to have what they voted for,” he added.
Vance’s comments come amid an escalating legal and political battle over immigration enforcement, including a recent Supreme Court decision halting a Trump-era effort to deport illegal immigrants using the long-dormant 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
During a stop in Buffalo, Chief Justice Roberts stood firm on his view of the judiciary’s constitutional duty, stating: “The judiciary is a coequal branch of government… with the authority to interpret the Constitution as law, and strike down… acts of Congress or acts of the president.”
Roberts emphasized that courts must remain independent to serve as a check on both legislative and executive powers: “That does require a degree of independence.”
But Vance pushed back hard, saying the judiciary has gone too far—especially when it blocks elected officials from securing the border. While acknowledging that due process applies to all within U.S. borders, he made clear that not all cases deserve the same level of legal consideration.
“I’ve obviously expressed public frustration on this… illegal immigrants, by virtue of being in the United States, are entitled to some due process,” Vance said. “But the amount of process that is due… is, I think, very much an open question.”
Douthat also pressed the Vice President on the administration’s authority to carry out mass deportations. Vance admitted the country isn’t dealing with a traditional army of five million combatants—but warned there are dangerous actors among the flood of illegal migrants.
“Thousands of migrants… intentionally came to the United States to cause violence,” Vance said, underscoring a growing security concern.
He concluded with a warning to the courts: “I think the courts need to be somewhat deferential. In fact, I think the design is that they should be extremely deferential to these questions of political judgment made by the people’s elected president of the United States.”
J.D. Vance’s appearance may have started with humor, but it quickly turned into a bold and unapologetic defense of executive authority and the MAGA agenda. While elites in Washington often cheer for checks and balances, Vance made clear that he believes the courts have overstepped—and it’s time they remember who the American people actually elected to lead.
