Vance leads first WH press briefing since Leavitt's departure, discussing Iran conflict, gas prices and military successes

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on September 03, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Vice President JD Vance led the White House’s first press briefing since the departure of former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, where he addressed the recent Venezuela oil deal, updates on the Iran conflict and other key issues.

When questioned how the Trump Administration plans to build on Leavitt’s legacy, Vance pointed to her outreach to independent journalism noting that one of her “many legacies” was her efforts to include “non-legacy media.”

Rather than viewing the influx of non-traditional journalists as a “threat,” Vance noted that it is a “way to democratize access to information,” grounding the move in First Amendment principles and Leavitt’s push for press diversity.

When the conversation shifted to national economic pressures, Vance acknowledged ongoing concerns over soaring costs for American households, highlighting that unraveling complex economic issues inherently requires time.

“No taxes on Social Security, no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime—we’ve seen $19 trillion of new investment coming into the country,” he said. “Because America’s inflation problem wasn’t created in a day—it was created by very bad policies of the Biden Administration, trillions of dollars of new spending that was going more to fraudsters than it was to the American people, it takes a little bit of time to rebuild the foundation of America’s middle class economy,” he explained.

Responding to questions about gas prices, the vice president attributed the surge directly to Iran’s ongoing attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The fundamental reality is that the reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping,” Vance explained, noting that Iranian forces resumed targeting vessels even after agreeing to stop. Framing the situation as a lesson in energy independence, he argued that initiatives like the recent Venezuela oil deal are crucial to ensure the U.S. isn’t “over-reliant on anybody for the world supply of energy and gas. 

“The Iranians are going to shoot at ships like crazy people and we’re going to do what we have to do to ensure that their efforts don’t lead to a worldwide energy crisis,” he continued. “We’ve been quite successful up to this point. Gas frankly, could have been much much higher if it weren’t for our efforts but I’m not going to make a promise about when its going to return to three dollars.”

 

Praising the military’s current standing under the Trump administration, Vance declined to outline specific next steps regarding the conflict with Iran. However, he emphasized that the White House is keeping all options open.

“Anything that could happen is on the table—economic pressure, military pressure, diplomatic pressure, covert pressure. Of course, these are tools in the president’s toolkit,” he remarked. 

When asked about when talks will proceed with Iran, Vance reiterated that Washington refuses to continue diplomatic discussions while Iran continues to strike commercial shipping.

“The president has been very clear,” he stressed. “We aren’t talking to them. And we’re not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping.”

Pointing to eight consecutive months of expansion in U.S. manufacturing, OAN’s Daniel Baldwin asked Vance if he’s seen a “trickle down effect” from the administration’s tax and trade policies on the trail, and whether that makes initiative ideas like the Foundry School even more crucial.

 

Vance credited President Trump with sparking a “renaissance in American building and American manufacturing” by rejecting decades of policy that shipped jobs and industries overseas. Touting the Working Families Tax Cuts alongside record-high manufacturing metrics, Vance attributed the economic momentum to local investment.

“I do not think that you could have the beginning of a manufacturing renaissance were it not for President Trump’s willingness to penalize corporations and foreign countries that take advantage of the American worker,” he said.

During the press conference, Vance also shared how honored he is to attend the upcoming 25^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Ground Zero in Manhattan, while President Trump attends a ceremony at the Pentagon.