Trump’s key to Cabinet confirmations: Senator-turned-VP Vance’s gift of gab

Vice President JD Vance has emerged as a key player in President Donald Trump’s effort to close the deal with senators and move his Cabinet nominees through the at-times difficult confirmation process. 

Vance is becoming an increasingly trusted voice among Republican senators, sources familiar shared with Fox News Digital. 

Republicans in the upper chamber also view the vice president as an honest broker in their talks about how to push Trump’s agenda forward, sources added, noting that this had established trust in Vance. 

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Vice President JD Vance, center, was a key facilitator to getting vulnerable Cabinet nominees past committee. (Getty Images)

When it came to getting two of Trump’s most controversial nominees past their respective committees, Vance stepped up to assist, sources said.

Both Director of National Intelligence (DNI) nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced uncertainty ahead of key hurdles in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Finance, respectively. 

Each committee housed potentially hesitant Republicans, who expressed initial uncertainty about the nominees. During the crucial committee-level votes, Gabbard and Kennedy could not afford to lose even one Republican’s support.

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Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Ultimately, Gabbard earned the support of moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in addition to the last-minute backing of Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.

Similarly, Kennedy managed to snag Young’s support before the committee vote, and holdout Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor, announced his plan to vote for the nominee just minutes before it took place. 

To lock down these votes, a significant effort was underway behind closed doors — which included Vance’s crucial counsel to the senators. 

The vice president spoke to both Young and Cassidy several times in the days leading up to the recent committee votes that saw Gabbard and Kennedy advance to the Senate floor, the sources told Fox News Digital. In those conversations, Vance talked through any remaining concerns the senators had with the nominees.

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Vice President JD Vance had several conversations with both Sen. Bill Cassidy and Sen. Todd Young, right. (Getty Images/ Reuters)

A number of other administration officials had phone calls with Young and Cassidy, as well, also helping to parse through their lingering doubts.

Vance’s conversations proved persuasive, in part because of his long-maintained relationships with both senators, whom he served with up until January, the sources detailed. 

“I think he’s been tasked with this role because of his preexisting relationship with us,” Young told reporters. 

According to the senator, Vance was respectful and actually “listened a lot more than he talked.”

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Vice President JD Vance served in the Senate until last month. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The vice president was also “effective” in getting the necessary concessions that Young, in particular, needed to get to a yes on the nominees. 

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“He came through, he delivered for me, and I’m grateful for that,” Young said, noting he also delivered for Trump. 

The Indiana senator further explained he has “a certain affinity for Senator Vance,” adding, “He’s a Midwesterner. He is a U.S. Marine. And we share a lot of concerns about people who are left behind and overlooked and underprivileged.”