Vice President JD Vance stepped behind the White House briefing-room podium Thursday to address administration priorities, filling in during an interim arrangement while President Donald Trump considers a permanent replacement for departed press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt completed her final day as press secretary on August 27 after announcing she wanted to spend more time with her two young children. Senior administration officials are expected to rotate through briefings while Trump settles on her successor.
Vance’s Focus on Transportation and Safety
Vance opened Thursday’s briefing by highlighting the administration’s effort against fraudulent commercial-driver-license operations. “We have taken over 2,000 fraudulent CDL mills out of business,” Vance said, arguing that the crackdown had made highways safer while protecting American trucking jobs.
The Vice President said the Trump administration had removed improperly licensed drivers from roads and claimed trucker wages had increased 7.5%. He credited a White House anti-fraud task force with uncovering operations where drivers had obtained diplomas or commercial licenses through fraudulent means.
East Palestine Derailment Investigation
Vance addressed the February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, an issue closely tied to his political career. Before becoming vice president, he represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate and repeatedly criticized the federal response to the disaster.
On August 28, Vance and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin formally asked the EPA’s Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation into how the Biden administration handled the derailment and its aftermath. The Norfolk Southern train derailed February 3, 2023, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border while carrying hazardous materials.
Days later, officials conducted a controlled vent-and-burn operation involving vinyl chloride from tank cars due to concerns they could explode. The operation produced a large plume over the community and triggered continuing concerns among residents about possible long-term health and environmental effects.
The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the vent-and-burn operation was unnecessary and exposed residents and first responders to additional hazards. During Thursday’s briefing, Vance said recently disclosed information had strengthened his belief that the federal response deserved scrutiny.
“What we’ve learned over the last couple of months is something that I suspected but frankly could never prove,” Vance said, alleging that the Biden administration underestimated potential risks to residents. He said investigators should determine whether officials withheld information, made mistakes or deliberately misled the public.
Settlement and Future Relief
The derailment has already produced extensive litigation. Norfolk Southern agreed in 2024 to a $600 million class-action settlement covering residents and businesses affected by the disaster, though the company denied wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
Questions about health risks, environmental monitoring and information handling have nevertheless continued. When a reporter asked Vance whether the administration might declare an emergency to provide additional assistance to East Palestine residents, he stopped short of committing.
“I wouldn’t want to commit to something unless I would know that it would do some good,” Vance said, adding that he would consider the idea.
