Top takeaways from JD Vance town hall: Costly gas, DC corruption, immigration hot takes and the war

Vice President JD Vance faced questions from Michigan voters during a town hall in Flat Rock as the state emerges as a key battleground in the fight for Senate control in November's midterms.

The town hall hosted by CBS News came just weeks before the midterm elections as Republicans are fighting to keep their majorities in the House and Senate. Vying for the open Senate seat in Michigan is Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Republican candidate Mike Rogers, a former member of the House of Representatives.

Here are the top moments from the town hall:

The first question Vance fielded Saturday came from a 43-year-old Detroit barber, who asked him why gas prices remain significantly higher than during Trump's first term.

Vance first pointed to Irans attacks on commercial shipping and the resulting disruption to global energy markets, but he also placed blame on the Biden administration.

"That's actually the biggest reason why gas prices are so high, because when Joe Biden was president, we had about 20% of American refining capacity that went offline," Vance said.

Vance said the Trump administration was using the Defense Production Act to help restore domestic refining capacity, but cautioned that rebuilding that infrastructure would take time.

CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil pushed back on Vance's attempts to blame Biden, noting that Trump and Vance have been in office for nearly two years while Americans continued to face high gas prices.

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Dokoupil shifted the conversation to government corruption, citing a Fox News poll showing that 60% of voters were extremely concerned about the issue. He asked Vance whether anything he had witnessed inside the Trump White House made him feel "squeamish."

"You certainly see evidence of corruption in Washington, D.C. Do I see evidence of corruption from the president of the United States, from the administration? No, Tony, I just dont," Vance said.

The exchange came days after Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece amid allegations that she sought $100,000 from a donor seeking access to Trump administration officials. Guilfoyle has denied wrongdoing.

Dokoupil pressed Vance on the allegations involving Guilfoyle, along with concerns about restrictions on IRS scrutiny of Trump's tax returns and the president's cryptocurrency earnings.

Vance said selling access to the White House would be "disgusting and despicable" and that anyone responsible should face consequences.

Dokoupil then asked whether Vance would comply with subpoenas investigating alleged corruption if Democrats took control of Congress in January.

"Of course, of course I will," Vance said. "Look, we follow the law. I follow the law."

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Vance was confronted over his immigration rhetoric by a naturalized U.S. citizen who said she voted for the vice president but questioned why the administration was "scapegoating immigrants."

The voter, who immigrated to the United States 20 years ago, challenged Vance over his characterization of certain H-1B visa workers as "foreign indentured servants."

"To the extent that my rhetoric has been imperfect here, that's on me," Vance said.