Vance met with HMX-1 Marines at Quantico and conveyed a message of pride from Trump to them

The US vice president of the United States, JD Vance, arrived Wednesday at Quantico Marine Corps Base, where he met with Marines from HMX-1, the presidential helicopter squadron. The White House number two, who arrived a couple of hours later than originally scheduled, apologized for the delay and explained that he was in a meeting with President Donald Trump, which ran longer than normal.

Also, Vance noted that the Republican leader personally asked him to send the Marines a message: "He wanted me to tell you two things. First of all, that he loves you. And second of all, that he’s proud of you." The vice president also detailed that while the meeting with Trump could have lasted much longer, he ended up prioritizing his visit to Quantico after, at one point, he interrupted the president to comment on his meeting with the Marines. "I stood up and said, ‘Sir, I know we’re in the middle of something, but the Marines at Quantico are waiting on me.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that. You’ve got to get out there,’” Vance recounted during his speech.

Vance attended the base to visit the presidential helicopter squadron as part of the current administration's mission to strongen ties with the nation's military and security establishment after years of several of the Democratic Party's top leaders repeating the narrative of a part of the U.S. far left that the military was inherently fascist or that the police force should be abolished.

A defining moment in his life

In his speech to the Marines, the vice president joked for a couple of minutes about being late. "That is not Marine Corps time, my friends. I remember Gunny Arledge always told me, if you’re five minutes early, you’re 10 minutes late… What does it mean when the Vice President is two hours late? I guess I’m on time, because who the hell is going to get me in trouble, right?”

Vance, who was a former Marine, also described in his speech how his time in military service was one of the most defining moments in his life by instilling in him values that marked him forever. He also thanked the Marines for their dedication and professionalism and then visited the base facilities and shared with the personnel.