Randy Fine Accuses Vance of Scapegoating Jews After Republican Midterm Losses

Republican U.S. Representative Randy Fine of Florida accused Vice President JD Vance on Sunday of shifting responsibility for Republican midterm losses toward Israel and American Jews. In an interview published early Monday, Fine criticized Vance’s comments about Israel and restated his opposition to backing him in the 2028 presidential primary. “I won’t endorse JD Vance in the 2028 primary,” Fine said. He described the vice president’s post-election rhetoric as unacceptable and accused him of betraying President Donald Trump. Fine’s accusation about scapegoating Jewish Americans was his interpretation of Vance’s remarks about Israel; Vance had not explicitly blamed Jewish Americans. Fine also challenged Vance’s handling of diplomacy with Iran. He argued that public anger over the war arose from the consequences of unsuccessful negotiations rather than opposition to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Fine blamed Vance’s diplomatic role and an earlier memorandum of understanding for prolonging the conflict. Addressing the Republican electoral setback, Fine rejected assigning responsibility to Israel or American Jews. He said he accepted responsibility for his own election performance and claimed that his winning margin had increased. The congressman also warned about Tucker Carlson’s influence within Republican politics.