Karl Rove, the longtime Republican strategist who served as a senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, slammed Vice President JD Vance on Monday as a “neo-isolationist” whose approach to Israel and the Middle East would damage the American economy and make the world more dangerous, warning he should not become the GOP nominee for president.

Speaking at the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual General Assembly in Washington, Rove sharply criticized Vance’s post-election assessment that the war in Iran was the central factor to Republicans’ sweeping midterm losses and that voters wanted changes to the U.S.-Israel relationship.

“He is a neo-isolationist, and he would bankrupt our economy and make the world a far more dangerous place by abandoning the quintessential, essential ally of the United States in the region,” Rove said, referring to Israel. “And that’s why he should not be president of the United States, nor the Republican nominee.”

Rove rejected Vance’s argument that voters cared so deeply about the war, pointing to exit polling that showed just 4% of voters identified foreign policy as their most important issue, compared with 39% who cited the economy and 33% who cited the state of democracy.

“This is total bunk. … The numbers show it was not true. He was doing it because his attitude is we need to abandon Israel,” Rove said.

His criticism of Vance came during a broader discussion about antisemitism and populism in American politics. Rove singled out far-right commentators Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens, accusing them of profiting from conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric amplified by social media.

Rove also warned that hostility toward Israel within the Democratic Party had increasingly spilled over into antisemitism. He urged party leaders to challenge antisemitic candidates during primary elections rather than waiting until they secure their parties’ nominations.

“Republicans and Democrats alike have a responsibility to confront this antisemitism,” Rove said, calling for a bipartisan effort to treat antisemitism as a broader American problem rather than one Jewish communities must confront alone.