US Vice President JD Vance has reflected on the dramatic shift in his opinion of President Donald Trump, admitting that he “had no understanding” of what Trump was really like before working closely with him in the White House.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, Vance said his earlier criticism of Trump stemmed from the fact that he barely knew him personally.
The remarks mark another chapter in Vance’s political transformation, from being one of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics in 2016 to becoming his vice president after the 2024 election.
‘I didn’t know him well’
When asked what changed after getting a behind-the-scenes look at Trump’s leadership, Vance said he first wanted to offer an important caveat. “I didn’t know him well,” he said, referring to the period when he made his critical comments about Trump during the 2016 election cycle.
Vance said that working closely with the president gave him what he described as “insider knowledge” and exposed him to a side of Trump he had never seen before.
“Donald Trump is much different as a human being than the media makes him out to be,” Vance said.
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He went on to describe Trump as “very warm,” “very loving” toward his children and grandchildren, and “incredibly generous.”
According to Vance, Trump enjoys welcoming people into the Oval Office and often feels compelled to give visitors a gift, saying the president values hospitality and likes making others happy.
‘I had no understanding’
Vance acknowledged that his earlier perception of Trump had been shaped largely by television clips and media coverage. “I had no understanding of that from him from the outside. What I would see is clips of him arguing with a journalist and that was it,” he said.
He added that such moments offered “a very, very one-dimensional view of a person,” saying his experience inside the administration had revealed “a much more multi-dimensional figure.”
Vance praises Trump’s intelligence
The vice president also disputed long-standing portrayals of Trump as unintelligent.
Vance said that before working with Trump, he had been convinced by media narratives that the president was not particularly smart. However, he now believes the opposite.
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Describing Trump as “super smart,” Vance said the president reads extensively and claimed he could “guarantee” Trump would score higher on an IQ test than most, if not all, previous US presidents.
From critic to Trump’s running mate
Vance’s remarks come years after he publicly denounced Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, when he questioned whether Trump was “America’s Hitler” or simply a cynical political figure. He also criticized Trump’s approach to complex political issues.
His stance later changed, and he backed Trump in the 2020 election. Trump subsequently endorsed Vance’s successful Ohio Senate campaign, before selecting him as his running mate for the 2024 election.
Vance assumed office as vice president in January 2025.