JD Vance got benched
Creators clock the lineup changes in the Republican party
You’re here because you’re watching politics get body-slammed by digital culture and content creators. I’m here because I’m the only one who can guide you through it.
Shhh … do you hear that? It’s the sound of the void created after logging off.
Social media detoxes are a good thing. Our opinions can become a liability in a world where algorithms reward hot takes and devoted fans deify dunks. Even prolific posters need to step away from the game they love sometimes.
If you think I’m talking about Kevin Durant, you would be correct. But I’m also talking about Vice President Vance. I happen to have the same question for both KD and JD:
Did the president you answer to (in Vance’s case, -OTUS, in Durant’s case, -OBO) force you offline? Or is this a matter of self-regulation?
The Slim Reaper and Flash Vance (still workshopping this) share a love for Twitter. I wonder if they know that about one another. The NBA’s Hall of Fame Reply Guy has stayed out of people’s mentions since February 15th after his alleged burner account “getoffmydickerson” surfaced. Oops.
No burner detected for Vance as of yet — though I wonder if he’s reserved @ih8marco2028 — but he notably hasn’t aired a grievance on his feed since before the initial strike on Iran. Reporting on Vance’s reservations about the operation came out shortly after, begging a question from political creators on the left and the right: Was he benched, online and off? And did the president do the benching himself?
Fortunately, we can look back at the VP’s response to the June ‘25 bombing campaign to see just how off things are this time around. Last year, he wrote seven bulldog-esque posts in defense of the administration’s Middle East movements. Worth noting:
“last night would have been impossible without perfect coordination and discretion from the president’s national security team”
“when we look back, we’ll say ‘the 12-Day War was an important reset button for the entire region’”
“a wildly successful military operation with no American casualties”
Like … just look at the difference between these quotes:
The president followed the above comments by suggesting, really, every possible war duration that’s crossed his mind, from “it’s over” to “it’s just begun.” And since Vance’s March 2nd appearance on Fox News, he’s been relegated to the B-list busy work like manning the fundraising circuit or delivering 2pm remarks on an unspecified topic in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Despite “philosophical” differences, Trump insists he and his second in command are aligned. Content creators on both sides are calling bullshit. Cue the “Succession” theme music.
UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION
There were no conversations about JD Vance’s presence (or lack thereof) this week without the mention of Sec. of State Marco Rubio in the same breath.
RIGHT 🐘
Benny Johnson, “Trump Makes Stunning 2028 Presidential Decision…”: opened with an edit of “Gladiator” featuring Rubio and Meme Vance fighting, mentions how much time Rubio spends with the president
Highlights reporting that the two officials were poll-tested in a room of donors with Rubio getting more support
Surged by 14 points on Polymarket, Vance down 12
