JD Vance Defends State Power at Michigan Town Hall

“Though the Iranian drone was the weapon that killed my wife, there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures that led up to that,” Joey Amor told Vice President JD Vance, asking how the administration would hold leaders accountable. Amor’s wife, Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, was one of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed by an Iranian strike on a site in Kuwait. His question put the cost of military decisions before the people expected to answer for them.

Vance said he didn’t doubt that failures had occurred, but told Amor that “sometimes information doesn't filter up to me.” He vowed to “take every single failure extremely seriously.” The war had killed 21 U.S. service members and injured hundreds. Vance called the placement of troops “a huge mistake” and said the administration had moved them. He also said officials had changed tactics to suppress drone fire and protect troops.

The exchange took place during an hour-long CBS News town hall that aired Saturday evening, Oct. 17, 2026. “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil hosted as Michigan voters questioned the vice president about Iran, immigration, corruption, the cost of living and his political future. Michigan is a swing state that helped propel Vance and President Trump to victory in 2024, and its Senate race could help decide control of the upper chamber in the following month’s midterm elections.

The costs land below

Sandy Johnson, owner of a family entertainment center, described a business “barely making ends meet” and asked when “the normal American has money to spend on small businesses.” Vance said the problems would take time to fix. He blamed a “bipartisan, multi-generational failure” to invest in American workers and manufacturing and to ship jobs overseas. He cited promised foreign investment and growth plans from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler parent Stellantis, while acknowledging that companies must build factories before they can employ workers.

Unemployment had remained low since Trump returned to office the previous year, but inflation remained above the Federal Reserve’s 2%-per-year target and cut into Americans’ wages. Manufacturing employment had stayed roughly flat. Vance said the administration was “turning the tide,” then added that it would take more than 18 months to turn things around. For a struggling business owner, the answer was time. The measures he cited were investment plans and factories still waiting to be built.

Keshon Wheatley, a Detroit barber who said he voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024, tied his earlier support to low gas prices during Trump’s first term. He said prices were now far higher and that he planned to vote for Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed rather than Republican Mike Rogers. Vance acknowledged that “gas prices are too high right now.” He blamed the Iran war for high oil prices and said prices would fall when the conflict ended, while arguing that U.S. military efforts were allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Enforcement, employers and the people caught between

Sister Nancy Sylvester, a member of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, asked how Vance would justify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics to people of faith and what policies he would support for more compassionate treatment of immigrants. Vance described the administration’s task as balancing law enforcement with humane treatment. He called most ICE agents “amazing people who are patriots,” acknowledged that some “make mistakes” or “really screw up,” and said officials had investigated cases, provided training and taken disciplinary action in some situations.

Another attendee challenged Vance’s comparison of some employment-based H-1B visa holders to “foreign indentured servants.” Vance said his rhetoric had been imperfect and that he was criticizing companies, not visa holders. He described workers who could be laid off and replaced, saying workers who complained or disagreed with a boss could lose their jobs and be sent back to their countries of origin. “And I think that gives employers way too much power,” he said. He also said his goal wasn’t to dehumanize immigrants, while arguing that immigration changes the country in profound ways.

Residents living near data centers raised concerns about noise, disruption and pressure on the electrical grid. One Michigan resident said constant buzzing made “opening our windows to let in a breeze ... a luxury that we could no longer enjoy.” Vance said data centers could be good but could also cause real problems. He said they should provide more tax revenue to local governments and not raise residential utility bills. “Some of the economic benefits they're generating, they can't just go to a few tech billionaires,” he said. “It has to go to the community writ large.”

Power questioned, power defended

Dokoupil asked Vance about polling that showed concern about corruption and voters’ belief that Trump was prioritizing personal business interests while in office. Vance said he had never seen that from the president and had not seen “a single shred of evidence” that Trump participated in or sanctioned corruption. The discussion also covered reports about Trump’s cryptocurrency earnings and allegations that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle asked someone seeking help from the Trump administration to wire her $100,000. Guilfoyle denied wrongdoing, and Trump denied conflicts of interest.

Vance said anyone selling access to the White House should “suffer consequences.” He said he would “follow the law” if a Democratic Congress investigated and subpoenaed the administration. Asked about a possible run for president in 2028, he said, “Of course there's a chance” he wouldn’t run, adding that he was a procrastinator and would have to think about it. Voters asked the questions at the town hall; officials and institutions at the top still held the answers and decisions.