Trump Directs Vance to Target Blue-State Corruption, Not Iran Deal

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has asked Vice President JD Vance to focus his “complete and total attention” on what the president called massive corruption and crime in Democrat-run cities and states, singling out Minnesota, California and Illinois, according to a post on Truth Social reported by Fox News and the New York Post.

“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S.,” Trump wrote. “The Blue States, such as Minnesota, California, Illinois, and many more, are all poorly run, corrupt disasters. Billions of Dollars is being stolen each and every month.”

President Donald Trump says he has directed Vice President JD Vance to turn his "complete and total attention" to what the president calls massive corruption and crime in Democrat-run cities and states, singling out Minnesota, California and Illinois as "poorly run, corrupt… pic.twitter.com/l99hXjLx9M

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) November 12, 2026

The president argued that cracking down could fix the nation’s finances. “Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large scale criminal activity,” Trump wrote, adding, “CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!” Fox News reported that Trump did not provide specific examples in the post of how billions of dollars are allegedly being stolen each month.

‘We Don’t Need a Deal With Iran’

In the same post, Trump signaled a harder line on Iran. “We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!” he wrote, according to the New York Post. Reuters, as published by Deccan Herald, reported that Trump’s directive shifts Vance’s focus away from efforts to resolve the war.

According to the New York Post, Vance was a key figure in negotiating a 14-point memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran in June that opened a 60-day window for talks, a window the Post said passed without a deal. The Post reported that Vance attempted to revive talks last month by sending a letter, with Trump’s blessing, to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

The Post reported that Thursday’s announcement leaves special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as the primary negotiators with Iran. The paper also reported that Trump and Vance have agreed the war contributed to steep Republican losses in the Nov. 3 elections, though they have differed over whether the conflict was worth it.

Vance Already Leads Fraud Task Force

Vance already chairs the White House’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which Trump established through a March 16 executive order aimed at combating fraud, waste and abuse in federally funded benefit programs, according to Fox News. Fox News reported that the executive order also identified Minnesota, California and Illinois among states where the administration alleged widespread fraud or vulnerabilities in benefit programs.

Fox News reported that in October the task force said it had identified $260.7 billion in suspected fraud since Trump took office and prevented an estimated $72 billion in potentially fraudulent payments on an annualized basis, figures Fox noted have not been independently verified. Fox News also reported that the task force was preparing to announce charges against more than 40 defendants in an alleged $40 million SNAP fraud scheme.

Fox News reported it was not immediately clear whether the directive would expand Vance’s existing responsibilities or signal a renewed emphasis on investigating alleged corruption in Democratic-led jurisdictions. Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.

Sources

• Fox News Politics on X
• President Trump on Truth Social (archive)
• Fox News
• New York Post
• Reuters via Deccan Herald

Compiled from Fox News Politics.