J.D. Vance Calls Himself an Epstein Conspiracy Theorist, Defends President Trump

Vice President J.D. Vance says he thinks it's really weird Jeffrey Epstein was hanging around some of the richest, most powerful people in the world ... a group he says does not include his boss, President Donald Trump.

The Veep appeared on "The View" Tuesday morning ... sharing his favorite Epstein conspiracy theories ... and revealing which ones he just doesn't buy.

Vance says it's weird how a convicted pedophile had some very famous friends ... but he says Epstein's relationship to Trump is being twisted. The two used to hang out before the pair had a falling out.

Vance says Trump became frustrated when Democrats kept trying to link his name to Epstein ... despite Trump insisting he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago and reported him to the police back in the day.

Vance seems to be referring to Trump's call to local cops around the time Epstein was arrested in 2006 ... in which Trump reportedly said, "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this."

That statement, revealed in an Epstein docs dump -- while exonerating in Vance's eyes -- also opened up a whole new discussion about what Trump knew and when he knew it.

Vance says Trump has pushed for full Epstein transparency, despite a contradictory narrative that's out there ... and he recalls the moment Trump greenlit the Epstein Files release.