Donald Trump has ignited speculation that he and JD Vance may have had a falling out after the president shared an unflattering image of Vance online. The edited photograph shows Vance with a plump face, flushed cheeks, a fuzzy beard and flowing, wavy hair. It has become widely circulated as the ‘fat JD Vance’ meme mocking the vice president following his turbulent encounter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Trump included the picture in a Truth Social media post showing him and Vance in police vehicles pursuing former President Barack Obama, who is behind the wheel of a white Ford Bronco echoing the O. J. Simpson car chase in 1994, reports the Irish Star. The use of Vance’s digitally altered face triggered a flurry of reactions.
“They used the fat face JD Vance meme for his picture,” one individual on the social media platform X remarked.
Another added: “They used Obama’s real one, but JD got the fat face treatment. Trump hates that man.”
Someone else observed “Interesting choice to pick that image of JD Vance”, before another person added: “I wonder how JD feels about that choice of his image? Even Trump is on the JD fat goofy meme train.”
The comments kept on coming, with one user writing: “This is as much a dig at his own VP. Vance is going to be praying for a Jan. 6 type lynch mob long before this s*** is over.”
It’s understood Vance has yet to respond to the post.
Multiple versions of JD Vance memes have been produced, including one in which he appears bald.
Last month, a 21-year-old Norwegian tourist claimed he was refused entry to the US due to a meme of Vance found one his phone. Mads Mikkelsen said he was detained by border control at Newark Airport in New Jersey on June 11.
Speaking to Norwegian news outlet Nordlys, Mikkelsen revealed that he was planning to visit a friend in Austin, Texas, but instead found himself subjected to what he described as “harassment and abuse of power” by US immigration officials.
Mikkelsen claimed that officials grilled him about his travel plans and intentions before shifting their focus to more personal questions. He said: “They asked direct questions about drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason.”
“I had travelled for twelve hours, slept poorly, and was physically and mentally completely exhausted even before they started the questioning,” he added. Mikkelsen revealed that agents threatened him “with a minimum fine of $5,000 or five years in prison if I refused to provide the password to my phone.”
After surrendering his phone password, Mikkelsen claimed his holiday plans were thwarted due to two images found by officers. One image was a meme of JD Vance with a bald, egg-like head that went viral in March, even being shared by the vice president himself.
However, in response to the allegations the Norwegian was refused entry because of the memes, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said he was actually denied entry due to admitted drug use.