Vance Says He Now Respects Sanders, Khanna And Mayor-Elect Mamdani — Praises Affordability Focus, Stresses Loyalty To Trump

Vance Names Three Progressives He Has Grown To Respect

In an interview with NBC News published Thursday, Vice President Vance said he has come to appreciate three progressive figures: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D).

Speaking across a wide-ranging conversation that touched on his marriage, the possibility of a 2028 run and concerns about antisemitism, Vance said he does not view any Democrats as likely formidable contenders for 2028. He singled out Sanders, Khanna and Mamdani as exceptions he respects for different reasons.

“I’ve always been fascinated by Bernie,” Vance said, declining to repeat a remark Sanders made to him shortly after he joined the Senate. He called the anecdote “one of the funniest things that I’ve ever heard,” and said it captures his political outlook but could be damaging to both men if repeated.

Vance acknowledged public sparring with Khanna on social media and said he sometimes finds the congressman “very annoying,” but conceded that Khanna “occasionally will say something interesting,” which he suggested is more than he can say for many politicians.

Echoing language used by President Trump, Vance described Mamdani — a democratic socialist — as a communist. Despite that ideological label, Vance praised Mamdani’s aggressive focus on housing affordability in New York City, calling it a smart priority given what he described as one of the world’s most severe affordability crises. He said Mamdani is “at least listening to people” and called him “fascinating” after the mayor-elect met with President Trump and received the president’s praise.

Grouping the three together, Vance said they fall into a category of politicians who, at least some of the time, pay attention to voters’ concerns. “Most politicians — it’s a very low bar — but they don’t even listen to people,” he said. “I would put Mamdani, Bernie and Ro Khanna in the category of those who, at least sometimes, they are.”

On the national debate over housing affordability, Vance pushed back on narratives that place immediate responsibility on the current administration to solve long-standing problems. He acknowledged that prices became too high but argued it is misleading to suggest the administration could fix all affordability issues just 11 months into a term. He described claims that blame rests solely with Republicans as a “hoax” and a misleading narrative.

Looking ahead to 2028, Vance noted that Sanders is not expected to run again, Mamdani would be two years into his mayoral term by then, and Khanna has been the subject of speculation as a possible contender. Vance said he has tried to “steer away from the 2028 conversation” to focus on current duties and warned that the outcome of the 2026 midterms could define both President Trump’s second term and Vance’s own future.

“The president really needs a vice president who is loyal to him and doesn’t use the media to backstab or to set himself up well for 2028,” Vance told NBC News. “So what you will never hear me do in this job is attack the president of the United States.”

He added that if he seeks another office in the future, voters will rightly evaluate his past decisions, but reiterated he will not attack the president while serving as vice president.