SEKULOW

Logan Sekulow: An announcement this morning, President Trump sidelines JD Vance on Iran. Keeping you informed and engaged, now more than ever. This is SEKULOW. We want to hear from you. Share and post your comments or call 1-800-684-3110. And now your host, Logan Sekulow. Welcome to SEKULOW. It is another show, November 12th, 2026. Welcome to the broadcast. Will Haynes joining me in studio. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110. And a statement from President Trump this morning on Truth Social. I think we need to talk about this, what this could mean for the impact not only in the war in Iran, but obviously the now kickoff start to the race to 2028.

Said, I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total massive corruption and crime taking place in Democrat run cities and states throughout the US. Okay, that's, you know, seems simple enough, but then goes on, it goes on, you kind of talks about that, and then hits you with, we don't need to deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we've got their straight. This comes as ongoing talks were being reported that JD Vance wanted to resume face-to-face conversations, negotiations with the current regime in Iran.

So at the same time of saying I've told Vice President Vance to focus on America, he has also essentially kicked him off of his work in Iran.

Will Haynes: That's right, and as you mentioned, this is something that JD Vance, it sounded like, was pushing for a face-to-face sit down with Iranian leadership to try and salvage some sort of deal. This all is in the context of that post by JD Vance where he went very strong and said, hey, guess what? the entire reason we lost was because of how we were handling Iran. So they were sitting there in the White House, and clearly this is what the vice president was coming up with, was that, we really need to change our messaging, change what we're going to do on Iran, when in reality, some of the statistics and data also showed that the memorandum of understanding, the MOU that was really spearheaded by JD Vance, was part of the reason that people were so frustrated because it delayed finishing the job militarily.

But right now you're having at a time where people were wondering, what is the, who's in the president's ear? Is it going to be JD Vance, who obviously elevated that conversation, or is it going to be the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio? Is it going to be Stephen Miller, the chief of staff?

Logan Sekulow: This seems like a Stephen Miller moment. And look, at the same time, to kind of give you the reverse of what this is, there was reports that were leaked saying that there was a, what they were calling an explosive conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu over what the future of the war in Iran looks like. Now, President Trump's statement to JD Vance said, we don't want to negotiate, we're done with that, that is long since passed. It didn't say we're resuming the war, however, it's kind of saying we already won the war. What Prime Minister Netanyahu allegedly was trying to do was to kick things back off now with the war.

Now we know Israel is dealing with its own set of political fallout. What do you think about all of this heading in now to just a 2-year span leading up to a new presidency? We are seeing maybe these light signals. And look, it's not like President Trump has had great relationships with his vice presidents in the past necessarily. So it would be nothing new for him to come out and make some changes that would position someone else to be able to take over his position. I would love your thoughts on this, 1-800-684-3110, as well as the continued push to Israel. And look, the work of the ACLJ continues.

I was on a board meeting this morning, so I didn't do my hair. If you look, see, like, Logan, your hair looks very dry. It's not, it's not my full-on Lego hair today. It's because I did this board meeting, ran out of the house. You know, hard work, Will.

Will Haynes: Lego hair got me. That was, it was good.

Logan Sekulow: Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110, but currently the ACLJ work continues so much so that we have the Stand Strong challenge right now, where all donations are doubled. That's right, if you make a donation today, another ACLJ supporter, ACLJ champion is ready to unlock their match. So I encourage you to do that. Yeah, we're moving forward. Doesn't matter who's in control of politics. We know God is in control, and we also know that the ACLJ work cannot ever pause. So we need you today at ACLJ.org.

Unidentified Speaker 1: Across our nation, the principles that have shaped America for generations are being attacked. The lives of innocent unborn babies are still in jeopardy in numerous states across the country. Our education system is being hijacked as the left tries to strip parents of their God-given rights to decide where and what their children are taught. And religious liberty, it's under attack, especially for Christians. It's moments like these when the temptation to give up grows stronger. But that's exactly when you have to decide, will I stand firm or will I just watch the waves tear away at our foundations?

We need people who understand that religious liberty isn't just a political talking point. It's our God-given right. The stakes are higher than ever, but we are not helpless and we will not back down. Go to aclj.org/stand right now and have your tax deductible gift doubled to stand with the ACLJ today.

Announcer: We've witnessed monumental legal victories from defending the 14th Amendment and protecting our sacred American right to vote, the overturning of Roe versus Wade, and standing up for the religious liberty of our kids and seniors. But even with the many historic wins we've achieved, the battle is far from over. The attacks on our constitutionally protected rights persist. Countless unborn babies remain in jeopardy, and across the globe, innocent Christians are being targeted and killed across this country and around the world. This fight isn't just the ACLJ's, it's all of ours. It belongs to every American who wants to preserve the values and beliefs on which this nation was founded.

None of the victories we've won would have been possible without the unwavering support of ACLJ members and ACLJ champions. It's been an honor to fight for you all these years. Join us in fighting for freedom. Have your donation doubled at aclj.org/freedom.

Logan Sekulow: Welcome back, Sekulow. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110. For those of you just joining us right now, we know we have a lot of people that join us a few minutes in. President Trump made a statement this morning, essentially sidelining J.D. Vance, telling him it's time to focus on what's going on in the States and don't worry about Iran anymore. I mean, that is a summary, but not that far off. I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the massive corruption and crime taking place in Democrat run cities and states throughout the US. Continues on later on.

We do not, or we don't, I'm going to quote it directly, we don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we've got their straight. This obviously comes as Vice President Vance suggested to reopen lines of communication and to begin those negotiation talks once again. So you have that side. Then you have reports coming out that President Trump had a pretty aggressive, explosive conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel because Vice President Netanyahu, not Vice President, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would like to resume the war in Iran.

So neither of those really point to a definitive answer here, but we do know there are a lot of people in President Trump's ear now deciding what the future is for this conflict and how it's going to play out over the next two years could really be a determining factor of who becomes the GOP nominee.

Will Haynes: Well, and once again, whenever you look at these types of decisions, when most of Washington probably looks at it being a yes or no choice, whether or not it's restart or stop and have full negotiations diplomatically. President Trump here is, seems to be offering a third way, which is status quo, that he's not concerned about the Strait of Hormuz at this time. He's not concerned about Iran's money and being able to foment terror throughout the region or the world. At the same time, though, you are seeing an interesting move here where there are more and more cabinet members being moved to military bases to be in more secure housing. the Secretary of Treasury, Scott Bessent, was actually moved to military housing.

Secretary of War already was, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, already was in military housing. and these are on bases that are around DC, so they're still in the area, obviously, but it's a much more secure than rather than being in a townhome in Georgetown, right? So you're seeing that move already, that the concern of Iran targeting members of the cabinet specifically is causing them to take extra precautions, not just having security at their home, but actually moving them to more secure facilities. So that is clearly a realistic threat that they are concerned about in the safety of the cabinet and the government.

At the same time, you are having this debate that was really the Band-Aid ripped off by JD Vance right after the midterm losses, blaming all that solely on the Iran war, which is, I feel like the vice president is smarter than that, right? I mean, he went to Yale, he's a very smart man, he's very accomplished. The fact that he would point 100% this is because the Iran war, it was just feeding into a section of the conservative base that is anti-Iran war and has become increasingly anti-Israel. Instead, what you see here is the president not taking the bait there. He has said in tarmac interviews and press conferences that he would do everything that he did with Iran over again.

He's not admitting that he did anything wrong, per se. And then also

Unidentified Speaker 2: Just say that maybe it didn't reflect upon the American people well. They did not necessarily like it. He doesn't think necessarily did anything wrong, it wouldn't change anything. However, understands there were ramifications to it.

Will Haynes: But what you're also seeing now, you see what we even talked about yesterday, where you had Van Jones saying that the Democrats, you know, astroturfed this kind of campaign around affordability. All of these things that kind of came together at once, it worked for them. But also pointing to just the Iran war as why millions and millions of people stayed home and did not vote is such a short-sighted, one, if that's your genuine analysis, it's extremely short-sighted. If it is your political analysis to further your career as, I mean, you're the vice president, but setting up for a future run, then that's, it appears exactly what it is, and I think the president didn't take that necessarily the way by giving him another win of saying, fine, you can start these peace negotiations.

Logan Sekulow: Yeah, but in another way, I mean, if JD Vance is focusing on what's happening in the states here, he's focusing on the economy, the corruption, and I think he's the chair of the task force to eliminate fraud. If you see success there, more people care about what's happening in our own country than care about what's happening in Iran. So it does also set him up, though it does sideline him from the international standpoint. It could set him up for a big domestic win if he can figure it out. Easier said than done, but of course it's been one of the things, it's not just to- totally that all of a sudden the vice president has nothing to do.

Will Haynes: Well, I think to that point as well, because it's still all i- is helpful for the Trump administration. You look at these final 2 years, what are things that the executive branch can accomplish? I think one thing, and actually that I would give credit to JD Vance, he has been extremely effective going to those press conferences, unveiling fraud with US attorneys, with the Attorney General, showing, look what we found, here's who's being prosecuted. He comes across very strong and a good imagery for the administration and a very good communicator for the administration in those situations, that I think for the president and his legacy, that is the best place to put him.

Him focusing on that. We know massive corruption and fraud and all of these situations in states are still a very big concern of the American people. I think it is the right place to use the vice president's talents.

Logan Sekulow: It's the proclamation. This is where it gets a little more interesting. I called Will back, we were prepping the show, I was on the way, I said we were on this board meeting, I had to get back in, so I was running late. I get on the way, Will tells me this, you know, that JD Vance been sidelined on Iran, and I kind of thought it was like something that was being reported in the news, like, you know, it happens like right now, like the Netanyahu Trump call. It's not like President Trump went out and said, I had a terrible phone call. Like, that's not what happened. It is a report. No, President Trump actually went on Truth Social and made a pretty large proclamation, specifically kind of telling JD Vance, I'm reassigning you.

Stay in your lane, bro. it's a little different when it comes as a statement from the president, not just a report that would come out through Washington DC Beltway News.

Will Haynes: Right, because here's the two different articles, per se. This one's a hypothetical, one's what really happened, coming from the Wall Street Journal with the same headline. So, Wall Street Journal, this is the actual headline. Trump reverses course on Iran, tells Vance to focus on US crime. If it had said, sources close to the White House and decision makers say that the president has decided to utilize the vice president to focus on crime, instead delegating the Iran war to his secretary of war and secretary of state. That would be one thing, and not that newsy of a story.

Logan Sekulow: No.

Will Haynes: What, here's what the article actually says. President Trump said Thursday that the US didn't need a deal with Iran and would prefer Vice President JD Vance, who has taken the lead in negotiations, to work on investigating American cities run by Democrats. That, and then it's just the straight quote from Truth Social that he posted. That is a remarkable lead sentence in a newspaper in this day and age, because normally you don't get those type of proclamations, and that is the difference here between President Trump and any other modern politician. Personnel matters or strategy within the White House is normally not proclaimed by the president the way it is here.

You go back to calling it the Apprentice White House in a way where you see the pitting against each other some of his top deputies to see, you know,

Logan Sekulow: Who survives?

Will Haynes: Finding out who survives and which idea he thinks is the best by who can present it better. This seems almost like a you're fired kind of moment, not fully, he's not being taken out, but saying, you know what, you were taking the lead on this, and maybe I don't like what you're doing anymore. Go focus on the thing that I know is important and you can do a good job with, but almost as if you've been failing on Iran here.

Logan Sekulow: We know that the vice presidential role has always been one that has come with conflict, it feels like, because they do operate very differently than the president and his cabinet. It feels like they are not always on the same page. They are not in each other's ear. And I'm not talking about just President Trump and Vice President Vance. I'm talking about historically, over, you know, 250 years or whatever it is that's been a vice president, that they have operated a bit independently, and sometimes that comes at the detriment of a cohesive relationship within the government. So you may have a better relationship just based on the fact that they're in each other's lives more with a Marco Rubio or Stephen Miller, whoever it may be that is inside the Oval Office more than you do have the vice president, who you see operating in these kind of more independent ways.

Now, obviously, when it comes to the actual politicking, getting out there where they were, they both were on the road quite a bit trying to turn the tides of this election, and maybe that's part of it, as you see what the reality is of the situation. We get back, I want to take some calls on this. What do you think about this situation? Did President Trump kind of throw his vice president under the bus here? Do you think it's the right move? Do you like that President Trump puts out these kind of statements? I want to hear from you, 1-800-684-3110. We also have ACLJ work to talk about in the next segment.

I want to make sure we don't forget about that, specifically as we're starting to wrap up this week, and just right now in the middle of our Stand Strong Challenge, where all donations are doubled today. If you ever thought about supporting the work of the ACLJ, it's a great time to do it, because now, through the end of the month, all donations are doubled during the Stand Strong Challenge. Anyone who donates, we have another ACLJ supporter who has pledged to match that donation. I want you to do it today. That's at aclj.org, or you can scan the QR code you see on the screen. Phone lines are starting to light up, we got a few open still, 1-800-684-3110.

Announcer: We've witnessed monumental legal victories from defending the 14th Amendment and protecting our sacred American right to vote, the overturning of Roe versus Wade, and standing up for the religious liberty of our kids and seniors. But even with the many historic wins we've achieved, the battle is far from over. The attacks on our constitutionally protected rights persist. Countless unborn babies remain in jeopardy, and across the globe, innocent Christians are being targeted and killed across this country and around the world. This fight isn't just the ACLJ's, it's all of ours. It belongs to every American who wants to preserve the values and beliefs on which this nation was founded.

None of the victories we've won would have been possible without the unwavering support of ACLJ members and ACLJ champions. It's been an honor to fight for you all these years. Join us in fighting for freedom. Have your donation doubled at aclj.org/freedom.

Unidentified Speaker 1: Across our nation, the principles that have shaped America for generations are being attacked. The lives of innocent unborn babies are still in jeopardy in numerous states across the country. Our education system is being hijacked as the left tries to strip parents of their God-given rights to decide where and what their children are taught. And religious liberty, it's under attack, especially for Christians. It's moments like these when the temptation to give up grows stronger. But that's exactly when you have to decide, will I stand firm or will I just watch the waves tear away at our foundations?

We need people who understand that religious liberty isn't just a political talking point. It's our God-given right. The stakes are higher than ever, but we are not helpless and we will not back down. Go to aclj.org/stand right now and have your tax deductible gift doubled to stand with the ACLJ.

Logan Sekulow: Welcome back to SEKULOW. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110, 1-800-684-3110. A lot of people are calling in about this situation with President Trump and JD Vance as it's starting to get a little bit more public, maybe some of the disagreements that are happening between the president and the vice president. But that being said, I'm going to take some of these calls, but I want to talk about some of the work of the ACLJ here to kick us off, because I think it's always important for you to understand, yes, we cover the news, we'll talk about what's happening, we'll give you our analysis, and I think it's great.

But remember, this organization goes well beyond what's happening in the daily news. The work continues on and on, and Will, we got an update.

Will Haynes: That's right, and this is a really important one. This is one that you've seen similar type stories that we have had to represent different doctors, nurses, medical professionals over the years when it comes down to keeping their job or staying true to their beliefs. And that's really what you see here. This stems from a Biden administration era rule where after the Dobbs decision was overturned, you saw some states starting to put more restrictions on abortion. what the Biden administration decided to do is then say, hey, guess what? You can get abortions at VA hospitals and medical facilities.

So this is a client that was a department head, the emergency department director at a VA medical center, and he, as soon as they put this forward, filed a conscience claim saying, I need an exemption from being forced to perform abortions. He and his entire department all had similar convictions. And then he was told by, by individuals that you are a part of administration, you can either get on board or find another job. Well, that's violation of many things in protections, constitutional rights, as well as other protections from EEOC, et cetera. And we filed a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services.

And this is also important why administrations, when they change, you have to keep fighting, because now the VA, at the direction of HHS, looked into it and have opened an official investigation into this. So we are fighting to make sure that Title 7 protections for federal employees based on discrimination are enforced, and that they are not forced to violate their faith or their conscience just because an administration wants to get across a political win, and that's exactly what happened here. So we wanted to give you an update. This is, it's a big development that the VA, the Veterans Affairs Department, has officially decided to open an investigation to find out what happened here and to rectify this situation.

So he resigned from his job because the medical director said, either get on board or find another job. That shouldn't happen in the United States of America, and it did.

Logan Sekulow: Yeah, and the ACLJ team is in action right now, and I need you to support the work that continues on. Our legal work is so important. Sometimes we can focus on it, sometimes we have to focus on what's happening in the news of the day. We try to give you a little bit of balance of both, but when we are in these special months, and we are just a couple months from the end of the year, 6 weeks or so before the end of the year, I encourage you to go to aclj.org and have your donation doubled. I want to put up that QR code, real quick on the screen if we can, because I think if it's easy for you to just pull out your phone, scan the QR code, donate while you can.

Your donations, like I said, are doubled. This helps fund our incredible legal team as well as this show, and to keep it free from any kind of paywall. I mean, that's my goal, is to always make sure that our broadcasts and all of our content is available without a paywall. That only happens, though, if you support, and these are great months to do it because effectively any donation you make doubles the impact. Again, it's during our Stand Strong challenge here in the month of November. Be a part of it today. We have teams around the world. Today we are even having face a deadline in our case defending, you know, it's Christmas season, a Christmas nativity scene in New York.

We have a team in Pakistan in court on Monday appealing a death sentence of a man who was only 16 when he was arrested for blasphemy and sentenced to death. We, our defense of a pro-life physician, like I said, in Virginia, we filed 6 Freedom of Information Act requests to expose and defeat industrial scale fraud in Minnesota. This is all over just the last few weeks. We launched, though, this Stand Strong challenge to help enable us to fund these fights for liberty, of course, keep this show on the air, and every gift is double, double, dollar for dollar. Donate today at ACLJ.org, or if you can become a monthly donor, you can opt in.

It's a small but really important group to become ACLJ champions, and I appreciate it, and I love when you come up to me in public and say, hey, I'm an ACLJ champion. Always brings a smile to my face and know how much my family and how much this organization appreciates all of you, whether it's a one-time gift or as a ACLJ champion. With that, tons of you have called in with a lot of different points of view. I have to say, it feels like if they wanted to create some sort of division within conservatives, President Trump's statement this morning may have put that into high gear. Let's kick it off with one on one side.

Let's go to Danielle, who's calling in Texas, watching on YouTube. Go ahead.

Danielle: Yeah, can you hear me all right?

Unidentified Speaker 2: Yep, you're great.

Danielle: Perfect. Yeah, I'm a Christian conservative. I've been with y'all since... I'm an original see you at the poll kid.

Unidentified Speaker 2: Awesome, awesome.

Logan Sekulow: Same.

Danielle: So I go back with y'all. I agree with JD Vance specifically because I have friends that are on both sides of the aisle, like extreme sides of the aisle.

Unidentified Speaker 2: I think we all do.

Danielle: Um.

Logan Sekulow: That's good, that's healthy, Danielle.

Danielle: Yes, yeah, yeah, they keep me in check. Um, they flipped to vote for Trump this last time because of Biden, and then they flipped Texas blue. And I say that because they are in the 36 counties that voted completely blue almost because of the Iran war. we are all middle class people, and financially it is destroying us. Gas is destroying us, eggs are destroying us, even though we have chickens and stuff, and you know, I work on a ranch, and it's just, it's harder than Trump is letting on, and I think it has to do with the people he has around us. In saying that, with us flipping blue, we need to remember that we have to pray for the leaders on both sides of the aisle.

Unidentified Speaker 2: Of course.

Danielle: It doesn't matter the color. But that- that's what I have to say.

Logan Sekulow: Danielle, I think that's a great statement, and I think that that's actually absolutely true, that people vote primarily with the- their pocketbook. They see what's going on in the economy, and it's tough. It- I'm not discounting that at all. I- I- I think when- when we go, everyone fills up a guess or- or take a guess. I don't care if you are in the upper, upper 1% or you are in, you know, middle class or you are looking at a number that feels astronomical. When you are ordering fast food and the price that comes back to feed your family of 4 or 5 seems out of, you know, out of the planet extraordinarily high for what you're getting.

People feel that, they understand it, and they are voting a certain way. So we do have to at least have a come to Jesus moment here of going, people voted for a very specific reason. They may tell you, and it may be some of those issues, the more social issues. I feel like a lot of it just comes down to they're suffering, and they're going to change it up. And what does that look like? And maybe someone else can do a better job, and it's historically how things have happened.

Will Haynes: Well, and I think to Danielle's point as well, the messaging has been so terrible from conservatives and from conservative candidates across the board, and that's where it was an easy opening for them to use the affordability mantra that they picked up, because where were they during the Biden administration when we were seeing year over year, multiple months in a row of 9% inflation? That's, that compounds when you have it at that rate. And so they also were able to push misinformation, like you saw El-Sayed that had that ad that he took him forever and he would never fully disavow that The Young Turks put out that said eggs are seven dollars because I have to send that money to kill Palestinian children, neither of which were true anymore.

Eggs are not seven dollars anymore. That was the Biden administration. So all of that really bad messaging from not great candidates, and that's what you get.

Logan Sekulow: Phone lines continue to be open as we head into the second half hour of the show. If you don't get our full hour, make sure you join us live each and every day, 12 to 1 p.m. Eastern Time. That's on aclj.org, YouTube, Facebook, Rumble. We're there, and archived. Have you get your podcast, of course, support the work of the ACLJ. This is our short break. Back in less than a minute.

Will Haynes: Across our nation, the principles that have shaped America for generations are being attacked. The lives of innocent unborn babies are still in jeopardy in numerous states across the country. It's moments like these when the temptation to give up grows stronger, but that's exactly when you have to decide, will I stand firm, or will I just watch the waves tear away at our foundations? Go to aclj.org/stand right now and have your tax deductible gift double today.