All posts tagged "jd vance"

'Unreal hypocrisy': Elon Musk called out over MAGA attacks on Zelensky's outfit

Of all the controversies swirling around Volodymyr Zelensky's explosive Oval Office meeting Friday with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, social media seemed particularly concerned with the Ukrainian president's choice of attire.

Zelensky arrived at the White House wearing an outfit similar to the military fatigues he has worn since the start of the war with Russia, and which he has said he will wear in solidarity with his soldiers until the war ends.

When Trump greeted Zelensky with a hand shake, the commander in chief quipped, "He's all dressed up today!"

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, found Trump's comment hilarious, posting it to X along with a laughing-face emoji.

But internet critics turned Musk's dig around on himself, pointing out the irony of MAGA being upset with Zelensky's clothing when Musk attended the recent cabinet meeting wearing a T-shirt and MAGA ball cap.

ALSO READ: 'Absolutely unconscionable': Ex-Republican demands Trump removed from office after fight

The View's @ananavarro posted to X, "Trumpers saying it was disrespectful for Zelensky, a President at war, to visit the Oval Office in the black shirt without a collar, he wears everywhere. Yes, the same Trumpers who applaud Musk showing-up at the Oval looking like he’s attending a bit-coin conference in Miami."

Filmmaker @justdawn_ dissed both Musk and Trump, posting, "Do they ask Elon Musk why he does not wear a suit in the Oval? No, they don’t. Zelenskyy is wearing an Ukraine military uniform. I guess since Zelenskyy isn’t squeezing himself into a little red tie they assume he’s dressed casual."

"This is rich," wrote Johns Hopkins professor @LouiseSchiavone. "Zelensky is dressed as the leader of a nation that’s been fighting for 3 years to survive after Russia’s invasion. Haven’t heard Brian Glenn ask about the guy who is making millions dismantling the US government, wearing T-shirt, ball cap and coat in WH meetings."

Liberal commentator TheCarteI wrote, "All these MAGA morons slagging Zelensky off for his choice of outfit in the Oval Office today and crying that it's not formal enough, yet Musk turns up in a T-shirt and trucker hat while his kid stands there picking his nose??? The hypocrisy is unreal, have a f-----g day off."

The acrimonious meeting during which Trump and Zelensky were supposed to sign a rare minerals deal as payback for help with the war effort ended abruptly when Trump kicked the Ukrainian delegation out of the White House.

'The only hero': Zelensky praised for holding own under Trump and Vance barrage

Reaction to Friday's Oval Office shouting match that pitted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance has been one of disbelief and disgust.

Trump and Zelensky were meant to sign a deal giving the U.S. a stake in Ukraine's rare minerals mining as "payback" for money given to support the war against Russia. That never happened.

After Vance accused Zelensky of not being "thankful enough" to Trump, and Trump poking his finger at Zelensky and accusing him of not being "ready" for peace, the rest of the official visit was over and the follow-up press conference was canceled.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), member of the House Armed Services Committee, gave a damning assessment of the meeting that Trump called "great television."

ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'

"Let's just cut to the chase," Moulton told CNN. "The president of the United States is a coward who is Vladimir Putin's puppet. The vice president of the United States is a pogue and a coward who is Donald Trump's puppet. And, so, what we just witnessed was a meeting in the Oval Office between two cowardly puppets and a hero. And whether you voted for these puppets or not, just as an American, as a fellow American, it's just embarrassing that the only hero in the Oval Office, the only decent human being, for that matter, is the Ukrainian. I mean, this administration is going to go down as an embarrassment to American history."

CNN's Boris Sanchez asked, "Congressman, I wonder if you think that President Zelenskyy could have handled it differently the way that some of his European counterparts and Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer did, and perhaps been more deferential to Trump and Vance?"

"Deferential to what?" Moulton exploded. "Deferential to a president who allowed a deal in his first term to crumble because Putin just violated it. Deferential to to a vice president who didn't even bother to visit Ukraine? I hardly know anyone in in Congress who has any view on national security, who hasn't been to Ukraine during this war. Deferential to a draft dodger, who's our commander in chief? Zelenskyy doesn't deserve to be deferential to anyone in that Oval Office. In fact, I kind of wish he'd put them in their place a little bit stronger. I mean, this is just truly, truly embarrassing. And the vast majority, the vast, vast majority of my republican colleagues in congress completely agree with me. They know the truth here. They're just too scared to say it themselves."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Wow, just wow': CNN host stunned by Trump's Oval Office blow-up with Zelenskyy

CNN's Dana Bash was flabbergasted after watching President Donald Trump berate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office Friday.

"Wow. Just, wow. That was...that was something," Bash began before remarking on Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour's reaction.

"Look at her face," Bash said of Amanpour. "I mean, Christiane, hold, hold that thought for one, okay. Actually, Christiane, please take it away," Bash added.

ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'

"Never in the history of modern diplomacy, war, peace, whatever, have I ever, ever, ever seen anything like it," a shocked Amanpour declared. "We just have to hope that for the safety of the free world and for the American people, for the European people, for the Ukrainian people, that these two presidents...try to iron out their differences. This was an entirely personal go to with so many mistruths and misfacts."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.

'You of all people': CNN anchor hammers military vet Republican for silence on Putin

CNN's Brianna Keilar was shocked Friday as a former Green Beret-turned Republican congressman refused to knock Trump for his comments aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Thursday, Trump referred to the leader of the war-torn nation as a "dictator," and suggested he was at fault for Russia's invasion of the country.

Keilar repeatedly pressed Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), about Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to democracy if the U.S. doesn't do more to help Ukraine, but the North Carolina Republican kept steering the conversation back to the deficit.

Keilar began, "You're a former green beret — De Oppresso Liber — that's 'to free the oppressed,' the motto. You've been very clear about who that is in this war, but Russia is at the table with the Trump administration. How important do you think it is that Ukraine has a real seat at the table in these negotiations?"

"Look, I think the greatest threat to democracy in the history of this country is actually the debt and deficit, and we need to be very clear-eyed about this," Harrigan said, adding, "And if we do not respect our dollar with our spending, we will not be able to do the things that we want to do around the world."

ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'

Keilar interjected, "I hear you on that, sir. It seems Congress can focus on both of these things. I'm asking you about whether Ukraine should have a seat at the table, a real seat at the table in these negotiations."

"The answer to this question is, we can't focus on both things," Harrigan said. "And I think, Brianna, this is what's so important to get out of this...we were doomed to fail in Ukraine because we're losing the economics of wars."

"But at this very moment in time, when there is a negotiation going on to end this war, how do you deal with that?" Keilar asked.

"I think President Trump and Vice President Vance have been very clear: the war needs to end. It needs to wind down, and it doesn't need to wind down six months from now, 12 months from now, three years from now; it needs to wind down right now."

"But you, of all people, have been very clear that it's not just about winding down a war. It's about how you wind down a war," Keilar maintained.

"I don't disagree with you there," Harrigan said. "And what I'm telling you is that we have a clear and existential threat to the future of our country, with how far in debt we are and how unmanageable our deficit is moving forward."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Baseless': 'Border czar's' prosecution threat at AOC too much even for MAGA attorney

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) received a surprising defense from a Trump-supporting attorney after "border czar" Tom Homan threatened to investigate her for allegedly impeding law enforcement.

Homan repeated Sunday that he asked the Department of Justice to look into Ocasio-Cortez's recent live webinar called "Know Your Rights With ICE," where migrants were advised on what to do if confronted by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

"I asked the Department of Justice, where is that line on impediment, right? It's a broad statute," Homan told CNN's Dana Bash. "Because you can call it 'Know Your Rights' all you want. We all know what the bottom line is. The bottom line is, how do they evade law enforcement?"

ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'

Attorney Jonathan Turley posted to social media Monday, "Border Czar Tom Homan doubled down last night that Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) might be prosecuted for hosting a forum on ‘Know Your Rights’ for accused illegal aliens. Such a prosecution would be an assault on free speech rights."

But Turley couldn't help but take a swipe at the ultra-liberal AOC in a second post, accusing her of being no friend to the First Amendment.

"While AOC has never been a defender of free speech, principle demands something more from the rest of us who value the First Amendment. Just as VP Vance offered a powerful defense of free speech in Europe, this baseless threat undermines the high ground achieved in Munich," Turley wrote.

The "high ground" Turley referred to was a stunning speech given by Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Council. He slammed Germany over censorship and encouraged the government to listen to the country's far-right political parties. Vance was criticized at home and abroad, with Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) slamming Vance as "embracing a group that flirts with Nazism."

In response to Homan's repeated threats, Ocasio-Cortez posted, "Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start."

Border Czar Tom Homan doubled down last night that Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) might be prosecuted for hosting a forum on ‘Know Your Rights’ for accused illegal aliens. Such a prosecution would be an assault on free speech rights...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 17, 2025

GOP lawmaker swatted down on CNN for defense of Vance and Musk 'flirting with Nazism'

Panelists on CNN's State of the Union sparred over two top Trump administration officials — Vice President J.D. Vance and adviser Elon Musk — "flirting with Nazism" following the vice president's eyebrow-raising speech at last week's Munich Security Conference.

On Friday, Vance claimed Germany should not shun its far-right political parties.

"Europeans, the people, have a voice," Vance said. "You can embrace what your people tell you, even when it's surprising, even when you don't agree."

While in Europe, Vance met with the leader of German's nationalist AdF party, as well as with the head of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked Vance's speech, posting to social media, "I expressly reject what US Vice President Vance said at the Munich Security Conference. From the experience of National Socialism, the democratic parties in Germany have a common consensus: this is the firewall against extreme right-wing parties.”

ALSO READ: Elon Musk's DOGE boys think this is a video game as Trump plots his 2nd coup

On CNN Sunday, Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) said, "What J.D. Vance is doing in Germany is really concerning. We have seen a spike in anti-semitism in the United States, just in my in New York, my home state. We had shocking incidents at Columbia. We have students afraid to go to go to school. The Anti-Defamation League has called out AdF, and J.D. Vance is embracing a group that flirts with Nazism. I's really, really disturbing."

Republican Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) interjected, "Now, I'm sorry, he's not flirting with Nazism. What he's talking about here, what Vice President Vance is talking about is the censorship and the manipulation of elections that have been happening in Europe. It's been happening on this side of the pond. He is correct. He is 100% correct on this. And if we want free, fair elections, people have got to stop meddling."

"It's pure hypocrisy," Gillen shot back, "and let's not forget that AdF is a party that's being boosted by Elon Musk. So, he's helping support Elon Musk do regime change in Germany.

Watch the clip below via CNN or at the link..

'Shut up, JD!' CNN pundit rages at Vance for 'picking a fight with the Holy Father'

Vice President J.D. Vance got dressed down Tuesday afternoon by CNN pundit Paul Begala for picking a public fight with Pope Francis.

Begala appeared on "State of the Union" with host Jake Tapper to discuss Vance's recent comments about "ordo amoris," Latin for "the order of love." Vance used the Catholic theory on Fox News to try to justify mass deportations, and the Pontiff wasn't having it.

"Pope Francis sent a message on Tuesday to clear up Vance’s comments. Without mentioning the vice president by name, he attacked Vance’s entire logic for the Trump administration’s cruel policies," wrote New Republic's Malcolm Ferguson.

ALSO READ: 'Making America less safe': Democrats warn of disaster as Trump purges the CIA

The Pope wrote in part, “Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups. In other words: The human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings! The human person is a subject with dignity who, through the constitutive relationship with all, especially with the poorest, can gradually mature in his identity and vocation."

Begala told CNN that even "Cardinal Dolan, a big fan of President Trump's...gave the invocation at his inaugural. He...says, 'Mr. Trump has been particularly sensitive to the feelings of the religious community.' Okay, a pro-Trump cardinal said that Vance's comments were 'not true, scurrilous, and nasty.'"

Begala continued, "And I've got to say, as a faithful Catholic — J.D. has been a Catholic for about five years. We're glad to have him, okay? But he's already picking a fight with the Holy Father! There's a Latin phrase for that we have in the Catholic Church, 'chutzpah,'" Begala joked.

"Yeah, like shut up, J.D.! Do your job as vice president! Don't tell the Holy Father how to run our church!"

Watch the clip below via CNN.

Dem reacts to DOGE worker's 'explicit racism' — and Vance's 'attack'

Ro Khanna (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley in Congress, unleashed on Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency employee caught up in a racism scandal that also drew in Vice President J.D. Vance.

Khanna appeared on CNN Tuesday with Boris Sanchez who made a point of asking about the racist comments that targeted people of Indian descent.

"I want to pivot and ask you about something else that Musk tweeted that was actually echoed by Vice President Vance," Sanchez began. "The Wall Street Journal found a social media account tied to a DOGE associate that had posted numerous racist remarks, among them one that I think may hit close to home for you. He wrote, quote, 'Normalize Indian hate.' You're, of course, the son of Indian immigrants. The staffer resigned and then was rehired, with Musk and Vance arguing that he should be forgiven for those posts. Do you forgive him, congressman?"

ALSO READ: Elon Musk's DOGE boys think this is a video game as Trump plots his 2nd coup

Khanna answered, "Well, as you know, I had an exchange back and forth with the vice president on this. It's sad because I was born in Philadelphia. I grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the '70s and '80s, and I never experienced that kind of explicit racism."

Khanna posted on X last week addressing Vance, writing, "Are you going to tell him to apologize for saying 'Normalize Indian hate' before this rehire? Just asking for the sake of both of our kids."

Vance's wife Usha and their children are of Indian descent.

Khanna continued, "What I said to the vice president is, 'Okay, he's a 24-, 25-year-old kid. He's put, 'normalize Indian hate.' He's put that he wants to repeal the Civil Rights Act, that Dr. King fought for, on social media. If you're going to rehire him, ask him to retract those statements and apologize.' I didn't think that was asking too much. I was willing to extend grace to give this young man a second chance. But the vice president sort of unloaded at me, attacked me, said that I 'disgust' him, and he still has not answered whether this person has been rehired and whether he's going to retract those deeply offensive statements."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'White-knuckling it': Terrified analyst schools Dems amid fears Vance set to be president

Unless Democrats want to see eight years of J.D. Vance in the White House, they'll need to "pick a lane and stay in it like grandma white-knuckling her way" down the highway, writes MSNBC politics reporter Alexander Nazaryan in a new opinion piece.

In other words, Democrats need to get over their identity crisis and come up with a platform that's more thoughtful and relatable than "MAGA."

Democrats lost the presidency, Nazaryan writes, "because normal people had no idea where they stood on any of the things that normal people care about. Instinctively, Americans understood that the Democrats no longer knew who they were. Democrats were awkward, seemingly unable to say if they were the party of billionaire donors or middle-class normies."

According to the Brookings Institute, Donald Trump was able to turn Kamala Harris' talking points on transgender rights into "the Willie Horton of 2024," successfully weakening "Harris’ effort to portray herself as a common-sense center-left candidate."

ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy

Nazaryan argues that while Democrats focused on abstract culture issues, MAGA stuck to "an almost absurdly simplistic set of ideas that are often contradictory and in some instances truly bizarre." Take Trump's push to invade Greenland, for instance.

Donald Trump "knows that his 'ideas,' such as they are, tend toward the preposterous. But every time he repeats them, they become a little more real. He understands marketing, knows that you won’t sell much by turning your political platform into a graduate seminar," Nazaryan writes.

Nazaryan urges Democrats to pick something — anything — that will appeal to the average American voter, like tax reform, cutting government waste, promoting green infrastructure, and even traveling to Mars.

"It literally does not matter," Nazaryan writes. "Democrats just need to pick a small set of coherent ideas and then stick to them like barnacles to a ship’s hull."

Nazaryan concludes that, "Trying to be all things to all people is a sure way to ensure that J.D. Vance will enjoy eight years in the White House, and probably Ron DeSantis after him."

Read the MSNBC article here.

J.D. Vance loans core advisers to boost Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio governor bid: report

Vivek Ramaswamy's bid to become Ohio's next governor has the support of the Trump administration, NBC News reported Monday.

The billionaire entrepreneur, who recently left his post with Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is expected to announce his run next month. When he does, he'll have the power of the White House behind him, thanks to Vice President J.D. Vance "loaning out" his own top political advisers to boost Ramaswamy's campaign.

NBC News quoted an anonymous source who said Ramaswamy hired Vance's advisers following two weeks of conversations between the former Yale Law classmates.

ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy

"The hirings also signal that Vance’s team, which overlaps in places with President Donald Trump’s, is fully behind Ramaswamy and that Vance himself is comfortable loaning out his advisers' talents to him," NBC News reported, adding, "For Vance, it’s an early flex of the political muscle that helped elevate him first to the Senate in his and Ramaswamy’s native Ohio and, most recently, to the vice presidency."

NBC News named Jai Chabria and Andy Surabian as two of Vance's advisers who are expected to come on board.

"Chabria, a longtime Republican operative in Ohio, will be the campaign’s general consultant. Surabian, a veteran of Trump’s earlier races who consulted on Sen. Bernie Moreno’s successful campaign last year in Ohio and is a senior political adviser to Donald Trump Jr., will oversee an outside political organization aligned with Ramaswamy," the report said.

Also expected to join Ramaswamy's campaign are Tony Fabrizio, "the pollster from Vance’s 2022 Senate bid who has worked on Trump’s campaigns," and Arthur Schwartz, "a close ally to Vance and Trump Jr."

Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is unable to run again after serving two terms as Ohio's governor. DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. John Husted (R) to fill Vance's vacated spot in the U.S. Senate, so he's out of the running, as well. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Ramaswamy's biggest competition in the Republican primary will be Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Read the NBC News report here.