JD Vance came with a joke during a speech he gave in Maine on Monday, Aug. 24.
The vice president has now handed the internet another cringeworthy clip that many have not stopped playing since.
In his latest attempt to copy President Donald Trump, Vance ruined his own big moment
According to Advocate, Vance was speaking at a manufacturing facility in Brewer, his second public appearance in Maine this year.
He last visited Maine in May, when he targeted Gov. Janet Mills over alleged fraud. National Republicans used this trip to boost former Gov. Paul LePage’s congressional bid.
During his remarks, he recognized the plant’s maintenance manager, Jamie Beers.
“I hate good-looking guys with beards because they make me feel jealous,” Vance said.
The room chuckled. On social media, however, people had questions.
Viewers then caught the awkward detail he somehow missed.
Vance: I hate good-looking guys with beards because they make me feel jealous pic.twitter.com/sCo54z1rdZ
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 24, 2026
Vance, as we know, has a beard too. He has had one for years, and it is arguably the single most discussed thing about his face.
In fact, when he was picked as Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024, he became the first man on a major-party ticket with a full beard since 1880, according to Newsweek.
Before that, reports suggested the beard might cost him the job, with one Trump confidant telling The Bulwark that Trump simply does not like facial hair. Trump waved it off, telling a radio host that Vance “looks good” and resembled “a young Abraham Lincoln.”
So the vice president standing at a podium in 2026 announcing that bearded men make him jealous is, at minimum, a strange place to land.
But the bigger problem for Vance is that the whole bit already belongs to somebody else.
Trump has spent years narrating how men look. Earlier this month, at a White House reception for Team USA, he singled out 22-year-old speedskater Jordan Stolz and marveled at his build.
Earlier this month, Trump singled out 22-year-old speedskater Jordan Stolz at a White House reception and praised his physique.
“Strong legs. Very strong legs,” Trump said, before asking how he could get legs like Stolz’s.
Trump has also commented on Vance’s appearance. In April, he noted that Vance had “got a little thinner” and called him a “perfect-looking specimen.”
“Strong legs. Very strong legs,” Trump said, before asking, “How do I get my legs to look like that?” It was not the first time Trump has recently made comments about a male athlete either.
Not to mention, Trump has also humiliated Vance about his appearance. In April, he noted that Vance had “got a little thinner” and called him a “perfect-looking specimen.”
Which is exactly where the reaction on social media landed.
A few people flat-out accused Vance of “stealing Trump’s bulls—t idiocy” and “Stealing Trump’s material.” Another said, “So he really wants to be Trump.”
Others went straight at the wording, calling the VP a “moron” and an “idiot, among other words.
“He’s so cringy and he can’t tell a joke because his delivery is so awful,” said one observer. Another said, “He really is just trying to do a negative energy version of Trump.”
One brutal reply cut closest: “I get he’s making a joke, but there’s probably some truth for him in that comment.”
The clip also arrives on a growing pile. Vance has struggled to land jokes for most of the year.
From a botched Wisconsin accent impression in July to an online swipe at a columnist’s weight that critics read as a bad Trump impersonation.
Vance continues trying to channel Trump’s swagger and humor, but his attempts often fall flat.
A recent joke about Democrats controlling the lights drew lukewarm laughs and online ridicule, with critics accusing him of recycling Trump’s material.
JD Vance attempts to make a joke:
— FactPost (@factpostnews) March 9, 2026
"I can't see any of you because these spotlights are glaring bright. The person who runs these spotlights must be a Democrat because I cannot see a single person in that crowd." pic.twitter.com/kBkVy6gUwM
His struggles have also followed him overseas, where Italian spectators booed him and wife Usha Vance at the Winter Olympics.
Despite repeated attempts to project Trump-like charisma, Vance has yet to build the same devoted following or magnetic presence as his boss.
Vance has made no other comment addressing the beard remark. Neither has the White House.
He was going for a throwaway line about facial hair. What he got was a full day of strangers pointing out that he already has the beard, his boss already did the joke. But more importantly — or worryingly — neither man seems able to stop talking about how other men look.
