Weird Things About Trump And JD Vance's Relationship

When Donald Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election, jaws collectively hit the floor. Vance was young, relatively inexperienced in politics, and, at one point, one of Trump’s loudest critics (more on that later). But Trump stood by his pick, declaring that he was going all in for the guy, “I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” he said in a statement at the time. It’s an interesting pairing, to say the least — Vance is half Trump’s age and comes from a different political generation.

On paper, it’s hard to picture them seeing eye to eye on much, let alone pressing political issues. But surprisingly, insiders insist their dynamic works. “They have chemistry,” Garrett Ventry, a Republican operative, shared with NBC News. “They’re friends.” Before the pair assumed office, other people in their circle claimed that they were on a “buddy level” and that Trump was “immensely happy with JD’s performance,” which is saying a lot, considering Trump’s track record of not liking, well, anyone. Suffice it to say, he doesn’t count himself as one of those people who can’t stand Vance.

Still, despite the bromance rumors, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies for the both of them. There are a few weird things about their relationship that are hard to ignore, and Vance’s early criticisms of Trump? That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the most head-scratching twists in JD Vance’s political journey is his about-face on Donald Trump. Back in 2016, before Trump clinched the presidency, Vance wasn’t shy about his distaste for the future commander-in-chief. In an interview with Charlie Rose, he flat-out admitted, “I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy. … As somebody who doesn’t like Trump, myself, I sort of — I understand where Trump’s voters come from, but I also don’t like Trump himself, and that’s made me realize that maybe I’m not quite part of either world totally.” And he didn’t stop there. He once likened Trump to “America’s Hitler” and told NPR he wouldn’t touch the man’s campaign with a 10-foot pole. “I can’t stomach Trump. I think that he’s noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place,” he declared.

Years later, and Vance is not just pro-Trump — he eventually became Trump’s VP pick (although word on the street is Donald Trump Jr. helped make it happen). Apparently, Trump’s time in office was enough to make Vance rethink … everything. Okay, sure! “I didn’t think he was gonna be a good president,” he told Fox News (via Mediaite) just before being announced as Trump’s running mate. “He was a great president. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to make sure he gets a second term. I think you should — when you’re wrong about something — you should change your mind and be honest with people about that fact.” If you can’t beat them, join them, we guess?

JD Vance’s relationship with Donald Trump is also the epitome of political groveling — and Trump’s love of public humiliation. It was the year 2021 when Vance hit reverse on years of Trump bashing, admitting he regretted the things he said in 2016. Coincidentally, he was also vying for a Senate seat at the time. “Like a lot of people, I criticized Trump back in 2016,” he told Fox News (via Politico). “And I ask folks not to judge me based on what I said in 2016, because I’ve been very open that I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy.”

Trump, unsurprisingly, wasn’t one to let an apology pass without a public reminder of who’s boss. At a 2022 rally in Ohio, Trump effectively iced Vance out and told the crowd just how desperate the “Hillbilly Elegy” author was in trying to get on his good side. “JD is kissing my a**. Of course, he wants my support,” he said. “The entire MAGA movement is for JD Vance.” He even revisited Vance’s past insults, joking that it was “before he knew me and then he fell in love.” But knowing Trump, he probably wasn’t kidding.

Even after Vance clinched his spot on the bottom of the ticket, Trump’s shady comments maligning him kept coming. He even went so as far as to shrug off the VP role, claiming it has “virtually no impact” on elections — not exactly the ringing endorsement Vance might have hoped for.

JD Vance’s attempts to cozy up to Donald Trump have led to some serious self-inflicted cringe. While Trump has no problem publicly roasting Vance, Vance seems determined to humiliate himself in the process. Case in point — Thanksgiving 2024, when Vance decided to post a meme on X (formerly Twitter), picturing himself as the wife serving a turkey-shaped USA to Trump and their “kids.” If the goal was to seem relatable or “cool,” it backfired spectacularly. Even Trump supporters were left scratching their heads.

pic.twitter.com/xAx6kCo6I8

— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 29, 2024

“So you’re Trump’s wife? That’s weird,” a critic tweeted, with another saying, “Weird weirdos posting weird weirdo delusional crap. In reality…Trump is celebrating Thanksgiving with Elon. You are nowhere to be found.” One user pulled no punches, declaring, “The fact that you think this is an appropriate message to send to Americans on Thanksgiving Day illustrates what a douchebag you are. There is something deeply wrong w you. Besides, you’re irrelevant anyway. tRump’s already cheating on you.”

And about that “cheating” comment — former Kamala Harris adviser Mike Nellis suggested the whole thing might have been Vance’s desperate attempt to claw back Trump’s attention, especially as Trump’s bromance with Elon Musk seemed to deepen. “My head cannon for this is Vance is worried about Elon having more influence than him, so he thought posting this weird ass meme would win him favor again,” he wrote on Bluesky. “Which… honestly might work because Trump is vain as hell and loves this stuff.” Honestly? He might not be wrong. Trump loves a good ego boost, no matter how weird the delivery is.

Another point of contention in their relationship? JD Vance’s beard, apparently. In case you haven’t heard, in addition to reportedly wearing eyeliner, Vance will go down in history as the first vice president in nearly a century to sport facial hair. But his signature scruff reportedly rubbed Trump the wrong way — at least initially — and it’s not because he broke some sort of record. According to insiders, Trump just isn’t a fan of beards — not just on Vance, but anyone. “JD has a beard. But Trump is a clean-shaven guy. He just doesn’t like facial hair,” one person in Trump’s inner circle once told The Bulwark. “You just never know.”

When the rumors gained traction, Trump brushed them off, claiming he wasn’t against beards — or any type of facial hair, for that matter — at all. “No, I’ve never heard that one,” he said on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade’s radio show. “He looks good. He looks like a young Abraham Lincoln.” That might be a bit of a stretch, no? But it seems Trump wasn’t entirely joking. Meredith McGraw’s book, “Trump in Exile,” recounts how Trump once told Vance directly, “You are one handsome son of a b****h” (via Politico). But hey, given the state of their relationship, if Trump’s biggest gripe with Vance is his beard, Vance might consider that a win.

Donald Trump and JD Vance might claim to have a united front, but their mismatched messaging tells a different story — especially on divisive issues like abortion. In one instance, Vance confidently told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Trump would veto a national abortion ban, asserting the former president had been “explicit” about it. “I mean, if you’re not supporting it, as the president of the United States, you fundamentally have to veto it,” he told moderator Kristen Welker. 

It all sounded convincing — until Trump completely contradicted him during his debate with Kamala Harris, saying, “I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness. And I don’t mind if he has a certain view. But I think he was speaking for me — but I really didn’t.” Realizing his blunder, Vance scrambled to clean up the mess. In a follow-up “Meet the Press” interview, he admitted that he made a mistake, and vowed to no longer put words into Trump’s mouth. “I’ve learned my lesson on speaking for the president before he and I have actually talked about an issue,” he said. He even attempted damage control by explaining Trump’s actual stance. “He wants abortion policy to be made by the states because he thinks, look, Alabama is going to make a different decision from California, and that’s okay. We’re a big country. We can disagree.” Hope he got a sign-off on that one!