Vice President JD Vance faced pointed, unscripted questioning from both Michigan voters and CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil during a combative hour-long town hall Saturday night, as he was pressed on elevated gas prices, the ongoing war with Iran, immigration enforcement, and corruption allegations involving the Trump White House.
The “Things That Matter” event, held in the Flat Rock area of Michigan and aired on CBS and Paramount+, came less than three weeks before the midterm elections in a key battleground state that helped deliver the 2024 victory for Donald Trump and Vance. Dokoupil, 45, repeatedly challenged the 42-year-old vice president rather than allowing him to pivot or deflect.
On gas prices, a 43-year-old Detroit barber who said he had voted for Trump in both 2020 and 2024 asked why prices remained far higher than during Trump’s first term. Vance acknowledged they were “too high,” cited Iranian attacks on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and blamed the loss of roughly 20% of U.S. refining capacity under the Biden administration. He said the administration was using the Defense Production Act to rebuild capacity and that prices would fall “when this conflict is over.” Dokoupil cut in, noting that Trump and Vance had been in office nearly two years: “At a certain point it becomes your economy, not Joe Biden’s economy.” He also reminded Vance that he had previously called elevated prices a “temporary blip.”
Dokoupil was equally direct on the Iran war, which began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 and has now lasted nearly eight months. He asked why the United States had not “decisively” won. Vance replied that “in some ways we have,” pointing to the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program—the primary stated reason for the conflict—but added that “the enemy gets a vote.” He said the administration was still seeking a long-term, verifiable commitment that Iran would not rebuild its nuclear capabilities while also preventing disruptions to global energy supplies. He argued that gas prices would be “three times as high” without U.S. Navy protection of shipping lanes.
Vance also faced scrutiny on immigration. A nun who has worked with border communities asked how he would justify ICE tactics to people of faith, citing family separations and trauma to children. A naturalized citizen who said she had voted for Vance challenged him on rhetoric she viewed as scapegoating immigrants, including his description of some H-1B visa holders as “foreign indentured servants.” Vance said the administration was “trying to strike a balance” between enforcement and humanity, called it “a work in progress,” and acknowledged that his own rhetoric had at times been “imperfect.” He insisted his goal was not to dehumanize immigrants but to maintain social cohesion.
On corruption, Dokoupil noted polling showing it ranks high among voter concerns and asked whether Vance had seen anything inside the White House that made him “squeamish.” Vance replied that while “D.C. is a corrupt town,” he had “never seen anything like that from the president” and had found no evidence the administration was involved. He said Trump “would never tolerate” anyone selling access and that such behavior would be “disgusting and despicable.” The exchange followed recent allegations involving former ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle and broader questions about Trump family business interests.
Vance also left the door open to not running for president in 2028, telling Dokoupil “of course there’s a chance” when asked. He described himself as a procrastinator who has not yet decided, citing his four young children and his wife Usha’s preference for public service over politics.
The town hall is part of CBS’s “Things That Matter” series of voter-focused events. Michigan is home to a competitive Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers that could help determine control of the chamber.