Vice President JD Vance has long sold the story of his rise from Appalachian poverty to second-in-line as proof of grit, a personal tale he repeats with visible pride. But lately, critics aren’t buying the story the way he tells it.
During a recent speech, the 41-year-old leaned into his role as President Donald Trump’s second-in-command, offering a boast that felt less like flattery and more like an imitation. One line in particular shifted the tone in the room, turning what could have been routine praise into something that had observers questioning whether Vance was simply applauding — or auditioning to be Trump’s mini-me.
During a trip to the Midwest on Feb. 26, U.S. Administrator of the Small Business Administration Kelly Loeffler introduced Vance to the Plover, Wisconsin, audience at an event with her own extreme adulation for the “Hillbilly Elegy” author.
“You all know the story of his humble beginnings, and now he’s in the Oval Office as the second most powerful man in the world and probably the coolest vice president we’ve ever had,” said Loeffler, 55.
Vance then took the stage to deliver his own speech. Before spouting his right-wing talking points about corruption, fraud, and immigration, the Ohio native acknowledged Loeffler for “doing a great job for all of us, saving us some money.”
He then dropped a line that no one believes actually happened.
“Kelly said that I’m the coolest vice president in American history. And I said, ‘Kelly, that is a low standard. That is a very low bar, but I do think that I clear that bar,” Vance stated.
A clip of him claiming he exceeded the cool factor standard over previous vice presidents — such as Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, and Kamala Harris — made its way to social media.
However, many of the responses to Vance’s braggadocio were not in line with Loeffler’s assessment of the current veep’s supposed swagger.
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“This is some serious wannabe energy. Really embarrassing stuff,” one individual declared on Threads, while another Vance critic posted, “When you have to say you are cool.. that says it all.”
“He’s not even Trump’s coolest VP and that’s a bar that’s all the way down in hell,” read another reply to the video of the vice president praising himself while trying to be just like his boss. “He’s already imitating Trump in self-praise,” added one person.
Taking a page from Trump’s book, Vance’s language was loose, and many took his words as jokes, as they do when his boss shared bizarre stories during a speech that had nothing to do with the topic.
A few comments questioned if Vance was under the influence, as many expressed, “Oh he definitely cleared the bar right before this speech. This address brought to you by Liquid Courage.”
Social media users went on to name past VPs who were cooler and more favorable than Vance, including Joe Biden, who served under Barack Obama, and Theodore Roosevelt, who served under former President William McKinley.
“Dude, Teddy Roosevelt was a VP. Say what you will about him (and there’s a lot of good and bad), but he was a bada–. Much much cooler than this jacka–.”
Another said, “What an entire f—g joke. He’s such a dweeb.”
Although he wants the status and notoriety Trump has, Vance is certainly not the Internet’s pick when it comes to his private life.
He and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, stepped onto the global stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy in early February.
When the Vances were shown waving American flags on the giant screen at the Milano Cortina opening ceremony, the Italian crowd showered them with loud boos, similar to the boos heard during his boss’ public appearances at sporting events in late 2025 and early 2026, including a Washington Commanders game last November.
Like Trump, JD and Usha, 40, smiled through the humiliating moment. Still, the jeering directed at them made it clear the couple was notably unpopular with a significant number of people around the world.
After returning to the United States, the widely loathed pair recently faced more scrutiny over their appearance on the Fox News talk show “My View with Lara Trump.”
Vance previously joked about stealing his wife’s answers to the host’s questions so Usha would not have anything to say fell flat, leading critics to call him “super obnoxious” and an “a–hole,” among other insulting nicknames.
Vance and Usha are currently expecting their fourth child, and many are hoping she will put an end to his humiliation train of trying to be like his boss with a brutal divorce. The jury is still out on that.
