Trump orders Vance to focus on blue state ‘corruption and crime,’ says ‘we don’t need a deal with Iran’

President Trump said he had directed Vice President JD Vance to focus on alleged benefit fraud in Democrat-run states and cities, rather than international diplomacy. He also said the US did not need a deal with Iran, signalling a shift away from further negotiations.

Trump named Minnesota, California and Illinois, alleging that billions of dollars were being stolen each month and linking action against fraud to balancing the federal budget. Vance had helped negotiate a 14-point US-Iran memorandum in June that opened a 60-day period for talks to end the war; that period passed without a final agreement.