Far-right Ohio candidate for U.S. Senate, J.D. Vance, has embraced the increasingly callous and militant rhetoric of the modern day GOP.
He's promoted the white supremacist "Great Replacement" theory. He's cited lies to lionize Christopher Columbus. He's falsely claimed to be suppressed by Big Tech.
But the Hillbilly Elegy author reached yet another low on Friday, when he weighed in on the tragic accident that occurred during filming of the new western Rust.
During the filming, Alec Baldwin—a lead actor and producer on the film—discharged a prop weapon that injured the director and killed the Director of Photography, Halyna Hutchins.
The incident and the factors that allowed it to occur are still under investigation, but reports so far indicate that it was a devastating accident.
Baldwin said in a Twitter thread:
"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
Social media users across the world lamented the loss and grieved Hutchins' death.
Vance, however, used the tragedy to joke about reinstating former President Donald Trump's Twitter account.
Dear @jack let Trump back on. We need Alec Baldwin tweets.— J.D. Vance (@J.D. Vance) 1634916348
Before Trump was banned from Twitter for inciting a mob of his extremist supporters to storm the United States Capitol in a deadly failed insurrection, the former President frequently tweeted his disdain for Baldwin, who played him on Saturday Night Live.
Vance suggested that Trump's Twitter account should be revived in the face of the tragedy, in order for the former President to smear Baldwin on the app.
Vance's heartless response generated backlash across the internet.
A woman is dead you miserable prick— Lauren Hough (@Lauren Hough) 1634918462
Someone died and you\u2019re making jokes? Seems low, even for you.— Morgan Harper (@Morgan Harper) 1634920273
Tell me you\u2019re the Overlord of Douchebag Mountain without telling me you\u2019re the Overlord of Douchebag Mountain.https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1634923114
See, guys, it's funny because someone diedhttps://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1634919927
A surprising amount about our current moment in one tweet: Hollywood spent years adaptating this guy's autobiography into an empathetic portrait of red America and then when a Hollywood cinematographer is tragically killed he thinks it's hilarious.https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Michael Tae Sweeney (@Michael Tae Sweeney) 1634918428
Vance claims to be a Christian, which left people scrutinizing whether his tweet was truly a reflection of Christian values.
An innocent woman died but for this guy who calls himself \u2018Christian\u2019 in his Twitter biog, it\u2019s all a joke. It\u2019s all about Trump. But hey, the things desperate people do to try and get elected to the Senate\u2026https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1634921175
What part of the Bible is this attitude from?https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Anand Giridharadas @ The.Ink (@Anand Giridharadas @ The.Ink) 1634919722
Big city livers don't get it but mocking the tragic death of a 40 year old woman is just how regular, hard-working Christian folks live. This is what my mamaw taught me while I was at Yalehttps://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026— Steve Morris (@Steve Morris) 1634918213
\ufffc\nThis is Halyna Hutchins, the 42 year-old woman who was killed. Another person is hospitalized with severe injuries, and you are cracking lame jokes. \nSo very \u201cChristian\u201d of you. https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1451570489105731592\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/PYqBprifEx— Ana Navarro-C\u00e1rdenas (@Ana Navarro-C\u00e1rdenas) 1634920795
Though Vance has apologized in the past for daring to critique Trump, he has yet to express any remorse whatsoever for his joke about Hutchins' death.
Perhaps that's a better insight into whom Vance worships.
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