Vance Claims He Didn't Know About Soldiers Killed in Iran War — SkimNews
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- Joey Amor, widow of Master Sgt. Nicole Amor (killed March 1, 2026 in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait), told Vance she was asking about a "failure of leadership"; Vance responded, "This literally is the first time I've heard of this," later acknowledging "issues with where troops were located" as a mistake the administration has corrected.
- A Michigan Trump voter now backing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed pressed Vance on gas prices; Vance blamed "what's happening in the Middle East" and Biden-era refining capacity, but when pressed on Trump's responsibility for starting the war, Vance replied, "Fundamentally, we are where we are."
- A nun questioned immigration enforcement tactics including family separations; Vance called it "a work in progress" and admitted "sometimes you have some people who really screw up," but offered no specific cases of officer discipline.
- An immigrant voter challenged Vance's recent remarks calling H1-B visa holders "foreign indentured servants"; Vance conceded, "To the extent that my rhetoric has been imperfect here, that's on me," while maintaining he was criticizing sponsoring companies, not workers.
- Vance defended Trump against corruption allegations, including nearly $1.2 billion in crypto profits last year, saying he personally investigates such claims and finds them untrue, but added that "if somebody's selling access to the White House, that's disgusting and despicable and they should suffer consequences."
- The October 17, 2026 town hall previewed potential 2028 challenges for Vance, with multiple questioners identifying as former Trump-Vance supporters now disillusioned with the administration's record.
Why it matters: Vance's admission that he was unaware of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike — and his refusal to link gas prices to the war Trump launched — surfaces accountability gaps the administration must close, especially with defecting Trump voters like the Michigan resident now backing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
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