California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday publicly criticized Vice President JD Vance, asserting that Vance had effectively admitted that his first year in office was unsuccessful. Newsom’s comments come after Vance delivered remarks at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where he addressed pro-life advocates and reflected on the challenges facing the movement.
In his speech, Vance emphasized the central role of family in society and the moral obligation to protect human life. “We know that family is not just the source of great joy, but is part of God’s design for men and women—a design that extends outward from the family to our neighborhoods, to our communities, and to the United States of America itself,” he said.
Vance then directly addressed what he called the “elephant in the room,” acknowledging concerns among pro-life advocates that political progress has been slower than hoped. “I’ve heard the fear that some of you have—that not enough progress has been made, that not enough has happened in the political arena, that we’re not going fast enough, that our politics have failed to answer the clarion call to life,” he said. “I want you to know that I hear you and that I understand.”
JD Vance acknowledges his first year as VP was a total failure. https://t.co/SVERkndlOo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 23, 2026
He continued to stress the importance of internal debate within the movement. “There will inevitably be debates within this movement. We love each other, but we’re going to have open conversations about how best to use our political system to advance life, how credentialed we must be in the cause of advancing human life. I think these are good, honest, and natural debates. And frankly, they’re not just good for all of you—they help keep people like me honest. And that’s an important thing.”
Vance then reminded the crowd of the long history of struggle for pro-life causes. “I see young people for whom this is the only world they’ve ever known. And I see people with just a little bit more gray in their hair, who for 50 years toiled to live in a country where questions of life would be answered by we the people rather than tyrants and rogues. All of us have heard their stories. They’ve heard of the movement betrayed, of taking one step forward and then two steps back and then three steps forward after that. They know stories of heartbreak and of triumph.”
He also reflected on personal experiences with the movement. “Some of them I’ve known very personally from ballot issues that I fought very hard for. Some of which went the right way, and some of which went the wrong way. I remember friends who spent their entire lives fighting for the unborn without ever seeing the victories that have accumulated in recent years.” Vance stressed cautious optimism. “Take heart. Take heart in how far we’ve come, but don’t lose sight of why we march. And so long as you are out there marching for life, I hope you know that the vice president of the United States will march with you.”
Governor Newsom, however, focused on the vice president’s acknowledgment of unmet political objectives, framing it as an outright admission of failure. “JD Vance acknowledges his first year as VP was a total failure,” Newsom said in a statement, pointing to Vance’s repeated references to slow progress and the need to debate strategies within the pro-life movement.
Newsom’s critique underscores a broader partisan tension surrounding the vice president’s record and highlights the scrutiny on his administration’s ability to translate social advocacy into tangible policy outcomes. While Vance’s speech was framed around moral and cultural arguments, his acknowledgment of the movement’s frustrations gave critics, like Newsom, an opening to question the vice president’s effectiveness.
