JD Vance says Trump pushing $1.5 trillion defense budget, cites Golden Dome in Air Force Academy speech
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday told graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy that President Donald Trump is pushing for a $1.5 trillion defense budget and touted the Golden Dome missile-defense system. Vance spoke as the administration circulates a draft peace agreement with Iran among allies including Israel, aiming to open the Strait of Hormuz and unfreeze $12 billion in Iranian assets. The speech came as new data showed U.S. inflation rose at its fastest pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy costs amid the war with Iran.
Vice President JD Vance, delivering the commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 28, 2026, said President Donald Trump is pushing for a $1.5 trillion defense budget and cited the Golden Dome missile-defense system as part of new technologies.
"You should expect some things out of your civilian leadership, out of the president, the vice president, the secretary of war," Vance told graduates. "This is why we've pushed forward with Agenda 47 and the Golden Dome, and any number of new and advanced technologies. It's why the president has made improving military quality of life such a central focus, why he's insistent on increasing the defense budget to $1.5 trillion, and why he's proud to support pay raises, new barracks, new hospitals and new schools on base."
Vance said American airpower allows the U.S. to "penetrate Iran airspace and strike critical targets across enormous distances with speed and efficiency and precision." He added: "When the president says he will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, it is the men and women you will join in just 60 days to give force to that promise and to that guarantee."
The speech came as Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement with Iran among allies including Israel. The draft agreement would open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, lift the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and give Iran access to up to $12 billion in frozen assets. Pakistan's foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will fly to Washington to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The fragile situation was underscored by Tehran targeting a U.S. air base in Kuwait after Washington struck an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.
New data released Thursday showed U.S. inflation rose at its fastest pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy prices amid the war with Iran. Household income after adjusting for inflation dropped for a third straight month in April. First-quarter GDP growth was revised down to a 1.6% annualized rate from the previously reported 2.0%. A Reuters/Ipsos survey showed Trump's approval rating fell to nearly its lowest level since he returned to the White House.
Vance described the rescue of an American pilot from behind enemy lines in Iran earlier this year as "one of the most daring and amazing acts" he has ever seen. He recounted sitting in a secure conference room during the operation: "That operation hit a bit of snag, and I think a lot of us were looking around and saying, are we worried here, but it was an Air Force general who said I promise you we're still going to get everyone out alive."