Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance was harshly criticized after he gloated about having a “long memory” and threatened former President Donald Trump's political opponents—only to be reminded of his own criticism of Trump via an X Community Note.
Vance—a venture capitalist who is best known as the author of Hillbilly Elegy—threatened anti-Trump forces, saying that those who are "fighting Trump and his endorsed candidates politically today" should not "ask my help in a year with your legislation or your pet projects."
A Community Note quickly exposed Vance's hypocrisy, however:
"Vance has publicly called Trump an “idiot”, “reprehensible” and “noxious”. In Facebook messages, Vance wrote “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad… or that he’s America’s Hitler.”
You can see Vance's post and the Community Note below.
Vance's hypocrisy was laid bare when, in 2022, shortly after entering the Republican primary for Ohio’s vacant Senate seat, he issued an apology for previously criticizing Trump in tweets that have since been deleted.
Unearthed by CNN’s KFile, Vance's 2016 tweets revealed his decision not to vote for Trump in the presidential election and instead support Evan McMullin, an independent candidate and former CIA operations officer. In those tweets, Vance referred to Trump as "reprehensible" and expressed concern about the fear Trump induced in immigrants, Muslims, and others.
Many have called out Vance as a result.
Vance has since expressed regret for his past criticisms of Trump, with his press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, emphasizing Vance's strong support for the former President.
The conservative organization Club For Growth had resurfaced Vance's past remarks during his Senate campaign, contrasting his current economic populism message with his earlier stance on issues such as raising taxes on corporations that outsource jobs.
Van Kirk said at the time that Vance's tweets resurfaced that Vance "is a strong supporter of President Trump." He asserted that the "pro-China, globalist D.C. establishment" was only criticizing Vance because "they’re terrified of someone who stands with Trump and working-class Americans on tariffs and a pro-America trade policy getting elected to the U.S. Senate."
