Vance in the NBC appearance defended President Trump's bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, done without congressional approval, at a moment where many prominent voices in the MAGA movement are pushing back, blasting Trump for breaking repeat campaign promises to not start new wars.

"I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East. I understand the concern, but the difference is, back then, we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish America's national security objectives," Vance said.

...So Vance is literally doing the "this time it's different" defense.