Vice President JD Vance brought some fire to Sunday morning TV, clashing with CBS host Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation over President Trump’s decision to slam the brakes on a refugee program—leaving hundreds of Afghans, including U.S. allies, stranded mid-journey.
Vance wasted no time taking aim at Brennan’s questions, turning the interview into what felt like a rhetorical sparring match. “My primary concern as the vice president,” Vance said with an air of practiced seriousness, “is to look after the American people.” A noble sentiment, though it set the stage for a debate that felt less about policy and more about who could land the sharper soundbite.
When Brennan pressed him about Afghan refugees, particularly those who’d worked with the U.S., Vance sidestepped the sentimentality and doubled down: “We absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country,” he declared. Unleash being the operative word, as if refugees were some kind of chaotic force waiting to wreak havoc on suburbia.

Brennan didn’t let up, pointing out that Vance himself had previously said he supported helping vetted allies. But Vance was ready, citing a 2021 incident involving Afghan national Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who had been arrested on terrorism charges in Oklahoma City. “I don’t want my children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted,” he declared, invoking every parent’s ultimate trump card: concern for their kids.
When Brennan tried to argue that Tawhedi’s case wasn’t clear-cut—whether he’d been radicalized here or abroad—Vance fired back with the verbal equivalent of a mic drop. “I don’t really care, Margaret,” he said, his tone dripping with disdain. “I don’t want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me.”
For context, officials later clarified that Tawhedi hadn’t entered through a refugee program but via a humanitarian parole program. But details like that didn’t seem to matter much to Vance, who had already won the soundbite battle.
Meanwhile, Trump’s refugee program suspension left more than 1,600 Afghan allies stuck in limbo, their travel plans canceled and their futures uncertain. While the Associated Press reported the human cost of the decision, Vance stuck to his talking points, painting himself as the staunch defender of America’s borders, his rebuttals sharp enough to carve through the nuance of the discussion.
The entire exchange was less about solving the issue and more about delivering the kind of made-for-TV drama that keeps Sunday morning audiences buzzing—and no doubt left Brennan wondering if she should have had a second cup of coffee before taking on Vance.