Rod Dreher defends JD Vance’s Antichrist remarks as mainstream Christianity
US Vice-President JD Vance has faced attention after musing about the Antichrist and "the end times" during an appearance on a Christian podcast, prompting his friend, conservative writer Rod Dreher, to defend the comments as reflecting mainstream Christian belief rather than anything unusual. Dreher told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that such views are widely held among Republican-leaning voters in the US and dismissed any suggestion the remarks could damage Vance politically, comparing them to similar statements once made by President Ronald Reagan.
Speaking to Christian podcaster Bryce Crawford, Vance said he would "not be shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us" and admitted uncertainty over whether the world was in its "end times", while stressing he tries not to dwell on the topic given his responsibilities to his family and role as vice-president. Dreher, who was present when Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, said the comments reflected a sense that the world seemed increasingly "crazy" amid rapid AI development and ongoing conflicts. Vance, who has previously clashed with Pope Leo and the late Pope Francis over issues such as immigration policy, is due to give his first White House press briefing on Thursday since Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's departure.
In short
- JD Vance mused about the Antichrist and "end times" on a podcast
- Friend Rod Dreher says the belief is common among Christians
- Dreher compares it to remarks once made by Ronald Reagan
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The case for
Vance’s remarks can be understood as an expression of familiar Christian beliefs about the Antichrist and the possibility of an approaching end times, rather than a prediction or a political programme. He also said he tries not to dwell on the subject, and supporters may see Dreher’s comparison with Ronald Reagan as evidence that such language is not inherently outside mainstream US political discourse.
The case against
Even if these beliefs are familiar to many Christians, a vice-president’s public speculation about the Antichrist and the end times may invite concern about how he interprets world events and exercises political judgement. Critics may argue that drawing on apocalyptic language amid conflict and rapid technological change risks amplifying fear or blurring the line between religious conviction and official outlook.
Explained simply
In Christian belief, the Antichrist is a figure associated with evil and opposition to Christ, while “the end times” refers to the period before the end of the world and the return of Jesus. Christians interpret these ideas in different ways, and some believe they could relate to events in their own lifetime.
JD Vance is the US vice-president and a Catholic convert. Rod Dreher is a conservative Christian writer and a friend of Vance; he says the views Vance expressed are common among many Republican-leaning Americans. Similar end-times comments have previously been attributed to former US president Ronald Reagan.
The discussion brings religious beliefs into public debate about Vance and his political role. It also reflects wider questions about how some Christians understand rapid technological change and conflict around the world.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Vance’s Antichrist comments are a ‘common belief’, his friend tells BBC”.