JD Vance memes take over social media—here’s how he responded

LOS ANGELES - In recent weeks, Vice President JD Vance has become an unexpected viral sensation—but not for his policies or speeches. Instead, his face has been transformed into a seemingly endless stream of memes, ranging from childlike caricatures to wildly exaggerated distortions. 

The internet has taken Vance’s image and run with it, producing edits that depict him with oversized cheeks, cartoonish props, and even unsettling red eyes.

Now, Vance himself has joined the conversation, posting a meme of his own in an apparent nod to the trend. But how did this all start? And why has the vice president’s face taken over social media?

How did the JD Vance memes start?

The backstory:

The JD Vance meme phenomenon began months before he took office as vice president, but it exploded in popularity in recent weeks.

One of the first viral edits came from Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) in October, who posted an image of Vance with an exaggerated chiseled jawline. This sparked a wave of edits, including a progressively baby-faced version of Vance that gained over 211,000 likes on X.

The memes took on a life of their own after Vance’s tense White House meeting with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. One of the most widely shared images from that event depicted a baby-faced Vance with the caption, ‘You shoulda said pwease.’

Since then, edits of Vance with apple cheeks, oversized lollipops, and propeller hats have dominated social media. Others have taken a grotesque turn, with distorted versions of his face, long messy hair, and piercing red eyes. Some memes have even superimposed Vance onto other figures, such as "JD Al-Assad" and "Marjorie Taylor Vance."

How has JD Vance responded to the memes?

What they're saying:

Rather than ignore the trend, Vance decided to lean in. On Saturday, he posted his own meme on X, featuring his face edited onto the well-known Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." Unlike the many viral edits that have exaggerated or distorted his features, this version remained relatively normal—a clear sign that Vance was embracing the joke on his own terms.

The response was swift and divided. Some right-wing commentators applauded his move, with The Blaze columnist Auron MacIntyre suggesting that the memes could actually boost his political image. Meanwhile, others joked that Vance’s face has been altered so much online that people barely remember what he actually looks like.

Singer Dionne Warwick joined in, posting on X: "Every time I open this app I see a brand new picture of JD Vance made to look like some sort of Cabbage Patch doll." 

Another user quipped, "I have completely forgotten what the real JD Vance looks like at this point," a post that racked up nearly 300,000 likes.

What’s next for JD Vance and the memes?

Vance isn’t the first vice president to become an internet meme. Kamala Harris also went viral for her "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" comment and memes comparing her campaign to Charli XCX’s album Brat. She embraced the online jokes, much like Vance appears to be doing now.

For Vance, leaning into the meme culture could be a strategic move. As some right-wing commentators have pointed out, embracing the memes might make him more relatable to voters—or at least help him control the narrative.

With Vance’s own post adding fuel to the fire, it’s likely the memes won’t stop anytime soon. Whether they help or hurt his image remains to be seen.