No one can say that JD Vance hasn’t loudly made a name for himself in the short time he’s worked in Washington, first as senator and now as Vice President.
He was sworn in as a senator of Ohio in 2023, a position he left to work at the White House alongside Donald Trump.
But while the president might be a person who says what he thinks, JD Vance seems to have taken it a step further. Whether one agrees with his opinions or not, the Vice President has proven himself to be one-of-a-kind, and not necessarily in a positive way. Timing, apparently, is something he’s never heard of.
JD Vance has done many things in his life. After being involved in the US military and studying at Harvard, he gained nationwide fame for his 2016 book Hillbilly Elegy, which was even adapted into a movie directed by Hollywood legend Ron Howard.
It was clear Vance had ideas about how he wanted the US to change, and – after a change of mind, that he wanted it to exact those changes in service to Donald Trump. He was elected US Senator in 2022, but just two years later, he was primed for a future at the White House.
JD Vance became Trump’s running partner, and now his work takes place in and around the Oval Office. However, while the Vice President’s role is clear, it appears that Vance is seeking to undertake his duties differently to the majority of vice presidents before him. So has he forgotten his place in the order that is the White House? Or is he simply a hothead who doesn’t care?
I have no doubts that JD Vance is an ambitious politician who knows what he wants. Neither has he been raised as someone who doesn’t listen to others or wants to create conflicts. But based on what happened at the White House last week – when Vance, out of nowhere, lashed out at Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy, orchestrating what some would call straight-up bullying – there are some questions that need answering.
JD Vance “not afraid of speaking his mind”
If you’re not up to date, Vance, who wasn’t even a Senator when Russia entered Ukraine and started the war, demanded that Zelenskyy choose a diplomatic way to peace.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance told Zelenskyy. “Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
If you ask me, the only one who showed disrespect was JD Vance, a man who obviously doesn’t yet fully understand what his title entails. He denied the Ukrainian leader a hero’s welcome, which he deserved. He wanted Zelenskyy to be “thankful,” but you know what, JD Vance, Zelenskyy has thanked the people of the US before. Does he have to get on his knees in front of the president – and possibly the Vice President – handing them gifts and reading a poem titled “Thank you, oh, thank you?” Come on. It’s time to grow up.
JD Vance has shown that he isn’t afraid of speaking his mind, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But as a politician – and certainly as Vice President – he must know that words have consequences, and the potential to cause chaos. Bluntly put, it’s a miracle that he didn’t plunge the world into a more significant crisis in his apparent sheer desperation to look tough.
The way JD Vance is currently operating as Vice President is unlike anything we have seen before, and perhaps his role and what he should be doing have been rewritten.
No matter what, one must ask if he’s fit to be the second most powerful politician in the US. Donald Trump has shown that he is not afraid to speak his mind. But perhaps JD Vance should focus on helping his president do his job—and not use the Oval Office for his own agenda, whatever that may be.
Hot mic caught JD Vance’s words in Congress
But it doesn’t stop there. Before Donald Trump addressed Congress on Tuesday, Vance was seen standing and conversing with Speaker Mike Johnson. The two discussed Donald Trump’s speech, only for a hot mic caught their conversation.
”By the way, I think the speech is going to be great, but I don’t know how you do this for 90 minutes,” Vance said to Johnson.
”The hardest thing was doing it during Biden when the speech was a stupid campaign speech,” Johnson replied.
Mike Johnson noticed the microphone and gently pushed it aside so they could continue their conversation. Vance was seen whispering something to him, but the fact is that the Vice President himself didn’t seem to care about the microphone being there, or, perhaps he didn’t even notice. No matter what, a vice president not having a care in the world about it brings up some questions.
Is JD Vance giving thinking things through in his professional capacity? Body language expert Inbaal Honigman told Tyla that the Vice President either was ”confused trying to figure out what difference that microphone would make, in a room full of various recording equipment, or he’s unsure why Johnson is trying to have a secret conversation in a room full of people.”
The fact that a vice president perhaps does not understand that a microphone can make a difference can surely be interpreted as strange, and in one way, it could be received as if he doesn’t care or understand. If he’s going to run the country with Donald Trump, it’s about time he did.