**JD Vance Defends Trump Against Criticism from Former Administration Officials**

JD Vance offered a straightforward explanation for the string of recent criticisms from several former high-ranking Trump administration officials, attributing their comments to lingering resentment over being ousted from their positions.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Vance characterized the dismissiveness of former officials such as former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley as the work of "disgruntled former employees." Vance argued that these criticisms stem from policy disagreements rather than issues of character. He claimed that Trump’s determination to avoid foreign conflicts was a significant factor in the friction between him and his advisors.

"It's about policy, it's not about personality," Vance remarked, suggesting that the derogatory labels like "dictator" primarily arise because Trump resisted initiating, what he called, "ridiculous conflicts." Recently, both Milley and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly have publicly labeled Trump as a fascist, with Kelly recounting an incident where Trump expressed a desire for “the kind of generals Hitler had.”

During the interview, Tapper questioned Vance on whether he genuinely believed that Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence refrained from endorsing Trump due to a reluctance to engage in warfare. Vance asserted his position, saying, "Absolutely, that's my argument." He went further to imply that the critical remarks from former officials were expressions of bitterness over their dismissals, despite the fact that Milley and Pence were not fired by Trump.

Both Milley and Pence have voiced concerns about a possible second term for Trump, fearing his leaning towards using the military against "enemies from within." When pressed on this matter, Vance denied that Trump intended to target political opponents or dissenting citizens, despite Trump's frequent use of the term in reference to Democratic leaders such as Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi.

Vance challenged the notion that Trump explicitly threatened to turn the military on American citizens. "He said he was going to send the military after the American people? Show me that quote where he said that," Vance countered.