JD Vance Isn't Beating The Weird Criticism Anytime Soon Thanks To His Trump-Centric Thanksgiving Meme
Vice President-elect JD Vance posted a Thanksgiving meme that had half of social media rolling with laughter and the other half raising their eyebrows. In a Photoshopped version of the 1943 painting "Freedom from Want" by American artist Norman Rockwell, a Thanksgiving dinner scene is depicted with excited and hungry family members gathered 'round as they wait for the turkey to be served. However, in place of the mother and father at the head of the table, Donald Trump and Vance's faces had been swapped in. However, things only get weirder from there. Vance, as the mother, is holding a platter, but instead of the turkey as in the original painting, the 2024 U.S. electoral map by county is shown.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 29, 2024
Billionaire Elon Musk, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Government Efficiency next to Vivek Ramaswamy, reacted to the meme with a cry-laughing emoji. However, those who lean to the left were more critical about it, with many pointing out how Vance has Photoshopped himself onto the body of a woman and showed himself in a relationship with a man. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that during the 2024 presidential election cycle, Republicans shelled out a whopping $215 million on advertisements as part of the party's campaign to claim that queer people pose a danger to children, according to Ad Impact (via X). That doesn't include the other misinformation spread by conservatives, including Trump himself, such as claims that kids were being offered gender reassignment surgery at school — something for which there's zero evidence, CNN points out. Just days before the election, Vance himself accused "middle class or upper middle class" white teenagers of essentially pretending to be trans in order to get into better colleges, NBC News reports.
This is not Vance's first LGBTQ-related scandal
"What bathroom does JD Vance get to use?" television writer Steve Marmel wrote on Bluesky in response to Vance's Thanksgiving meme choice. Marmel was clearly referring to the GOP's recent attacks against transgender people who want to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. A Reddit user also noted the irony, writing on the r/Politics subreddit: "Guess cross dressing is okay with the GOP now?"
Some people decided to have a bit of fun with Vance's faux pas, sarcastically accepting Vance into the LGBTQ+ community. Another Reddit user commented under the same post, "I don't think we should mock Vance for this. This is a powerful gender-affirming moment for him as a power bottom to Trump. With that smokey eyeliner of his, he's giving Melania a run for her money. I just hope Vance's wife's kids can understand." The phrase "power bottom" refers to someone who takes on a more submissive role in a relationship, especially in intimate situations, but with confidence and strength. People teased Vance earlier this year when it appeared he had dark lines under his eyelids during public appearances, which led to many discussions and memes about whether he uses eyeliner or not (per The Independent). Even "The Daily Show" got in on the JD Vance eyeliner debate. Vance's wife, Usha Vance, has denied the rumors.
Oddly enough, these are not the only examples when Vance has piqued America's interest in his gender identity and sexual orientation. A picture of him dressed in drag back in 2012 sparked an equal number of memes and gossip about the vice president-elect (via The New Republic). It's not surprising, then, that the way in which conservative politicians like Vance, Musk, and Trump treat issues related to gender and expression depending on the context or individuals involved, is highly perceived as hypocritical.