JD Vance's Copycat Fashion Fails Prove His Style Is Worse Than His Eyeliner

One of the most persistent rumors about Vice President JD Vance is that he wears eyeliner. While the jury may still be out on that one in the court of public opinion, some of Vance's other fashion choices are there for all of us to see. Vance had a fashion fail with his tie at the VP debate in October 2024 and, at CPAC in February 2025, Vance's pants rode up when he sat down, leading to plenty of ridicule on social media. Then there are the times that Vance seems to be trying to model himself after other politicians with his style, and it just hasn't worked for him.

Vance is frequently seen modeling Trump's favored look of a dark suit with a bright red tie. Admittedly, Vance doesn't seem to wear his tie as long as Trump likes to, but the look seems like he's trying too hard. Especially when the two are at the same event together wearing the same thing, it seems like Vance is trying too hard to look like his boss. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so is Vance hoping to get the president's approval at a time (read, the entire presidential term so far) when Vance has seemingly been pushed aside in favor of Elon Musk.

One of the times that JD Vance matched with Donald Trump was at the 2024 September 11 tribute in New York City. We don't know if it was an intentional choice, but we know it wasn't Trump trying to look like Vance since the long, shiny red tie and a boxy navy suit have been his signature for quite some time. People noticed the twinning moment and they brought the jokes at Vance's expense. One person on X said, "JD Vance wearing exactly the same suit and tie as Trump at the 9/11 memorial. Trump still won't acknowledge him." Another person quipped, "Poor guy trying harder than the Trump's kids to get noticed." Another critic on X referred to Vance as a "wannabe mini me."

Vance didn't frequently wear a tie before he got into politics, and his suit jackets didn't have the boxy feel that Trump's have. In 2016, Vance was promoting his book "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis" in 2016, and not long before that, he was a part of Silicon Valley. Then, he dressed for that part as a tech exec and author, rarely wearing a tie. They say to dress for the job that you want, and Vance is doing what many of us often do, trying to fit in with others by what we wear. Instead, however, it seems as though he doesn't have a clear and first understanding of his own sense of style, and arguably of who he is by extension. But it's not just with ties and Trump that Vance is seemingly modeling his outfits after others.

Vice President JD Vance has been making his name as an aggressive promoter of America, not worried about angering allies. This included him coming at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a contentious Oval Office meeting. Therefore, it was strange that he then seemed to take a page out of Zelensky's style playbook during a trip to Greenland. Here's why people are so annoyed.

The dramatic Oval Office meeting started with Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend Brian Glenn, a right-wing reporter, asking Zelensky why he didn't wear a suit for his visit with Donald Trump and Vance in the Oval Office. Zelensky has specifically chosen not to wear a suit since the Russians began their invasion of his country in 2022, but that was either not known or ignored by those like Glenn who were calling out Zelensky. The 2025 meeting ended acrimoniously with Vance demanding to know why Zelensky hadn't said thank you to the U.S., which is actually something that Zelensky has done.

So it was notable to critics that during Vance's trip to Greenland a month later that he wore an all-black outfit when he visited a U.S. Space Force Base. It was reminiscent of the outfits Zelensky has been wearing. One person on X wrote, "JD Vance's attempt to cosplay as Zelenskyy is peak US losercore. Truly pathetic." One made a clear reference to the Oval Office, writing, "He went to Greenland and didn't even have the decency to wear a suit and say thank you," and another person called him "Temu Zelensky." Let's see who Vance dresses like next, and if he does any better.