‘You’ll never be him’: JD Vance embraces viral meme for Halloween

US vice president JD Vance has had a hard time recognising that social media memes are laughing at him, rather than with him.

Back in August he angered the internet when he shared his favourite version of the infamous ‘couch’ meme, and now, he’s decided to dress up as the image Twitter/X users have been using to ridicule the Republican for months.

Known as “fat JD”, the wide-eyed, curly haired version of the VP began circulating off the back of the infamous White House blowout between Vance, US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky back in March.

Referring to America’s support for Ukraine, Vance asked Zelensky: “Have you said thank you once?”

A similar version, in which Vance does not have curly hair but rather has a completely bald head, has also been used to poke fun at the vice president. It was driven around on an ad van when Vance holidayed in the Cotswolds in August, and it became a form of ‘resistance’ online in June when a Norwegian tourist claimed he was denied entry into the US because he had the meme saved on his phone.

US Customs and Border Protection blasted the claim from Norwegian tourist Mads Mikkelsen (no, not the Danish actor known for roles in Casino Royale and Fantastic Beasts) as “false” and gave another reason for him being refused entry into the country.

And when Halloween took place on Friday, Vance decided to lean into the meme by donning a brown curly wig and sharing a selfie of him in the costume to his Twitter/X account:

He also filmed a video for TikTok, in which he said: “Happy Halloween, kids, and remember: say thank you.”

But social media users have since mocked and criticised Vance’s efforts to join in on the meme, with one account writing that the VP “still doesn’t get that we’re laughing at him, not with him”:

The Democrats’ official account responded by referencing another Vance meme:

Queer content creator mattxiv declared that the “joke’s over y’all”:

“Just let out the biggest sigh,” wrote Business Insider journalist Bryan Metzger:

The ‘greg’ Twitter/X account, with more than a million followers on the platform, shared the ‘bald’ version of the Vance meme and added that “we wanted this one sir”:

Political commentator Dean Withers replied: “You’re not that guy buddy”:

“You’ll never be him, JD,” wrote one individual:

Another commented: “When your soul is rotten and evil gushes from every pore it means u will never be in on the joke”:

But not everyone was critical of Vance’s costume choice, as Elon Musk reacted with a laughing face emoji:

It’s not the only Halloween blunder involving members of the Trump administration to take place this year, though, as the US president once again struggled to hand out sweets to children normally and decided to place the treats on a child’s head instead.

Why not read…

• Brave woman stands up to JD Vance in epic take down
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