Vance's Antichrist comments are a 'common belief', his friend tells BBC

What the report says

BBC World News reports that US Vice-President JD Vance has drawn attention after comments on a Christian podcast in which he said he would not be surprised if the Antichrist were “walking among us” and discussed whether the world may be in its final period. Vance also said he was not focused on such questions and that his priority was serving as vice-president, his family and what he described as God’s work.

A friend of Vance, conservative writer Rod Dreher, told the BBC that the remarks reflect a belief held by many Christians and should not be seen as politically damaging. Dreher argued that many Republican-leaning voters already accept similar ideas and said Vance was expressing a view shaped by concern about modern turmoil, including artificial intelligence and ongoing conflicts.

The BBC notes that in Christian teaching, “end times” refers to beliefs about the closing phase of world history, while the Antichrist is commonly understood as a figure associated with opposition to God in that period. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, has previously spoken about the role of faith in his life and politics. The episode adds to the vice-president’s profile as a prominent religious conservative, and comes as he continues to be a visible figure in the Trump administration.