JD Vance's Desperate Need To Be Liked Is So Obvious

JD Vance became the least-liked vice presidential nominee in decades when Donald Trump tapped him for the position in 2024, and he immediately made it everyone else's problem. After the former Ohio senator took office, it became increasingly obvious that Vance would go to embarrassing lengths to curry public favor. In October 2025, the divisive politician dressed up as the slightly terrifying curly-haired meme of himself in an apparent attempt to convince the world that he was a relatable politician who could take a joke. Unfortunately, that costume became one of the worst-dressed celebrity looks of Halloween 2025 and left many social media commentators cringing rather than laughing. Worse, it wasn't the first time that Vance tried unsuccessfully using his humor to score a few brownie points with netizens either. 

Vice President Vance on TikTok:

"Happy Halloween everyone, remember to say thank you while you trick or treat!" pic.twitter.com/YoKhKmeP6w

— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) October 31, 2025

In June 2025, Vance took a side in the Elon Musk and Donald Trump divorce after slipping in a predictably cringeworthy joke. "Slow news day, what are we even going to talk about?" he wrote in a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a photo posing alongside podcaster Theo Von, who was interviewing Vance at the time. Although the bestselling author's post received millions of impressions, it ultimately came across as a desperate attempt to join in on the discourse in a relatable manner. 

His bizarre attempts made slightly more sense in August 2025, when filmmaker Ron Howard confirmed that Vance's fragile ego was just like Trump's, and crumpled at the slightest bit of criticism. During a chat with Vulture, Howard, who directed the "Hillbilly Elegy" movie, revealed that the veep was "frustrated" by all the negative reviews, adding, "He felt that, just as reviews had kind of turned on the book, his involvement was in some way tainting or coloring the critical response, and he resented it."

JD Vance's questionable remarks from 2025 give the impression that he believes everyone will like him if he just becomes the person they believe he is. For instance, in October 2025, JD publicly changed his tune on wife Usha Vance's religious beliefs in an evident attempt to appease his supporters. While the vice president debated college students, for a Turning Point USA event, he shared that when he met his wife, they were both agnostic or atheist. However, the former Ohio senator found his faith at some point in their relationship, and Usha subsequently agreed to raise the couple's three children Catholic. JD then told the audience that he wished his wife would reconsider her religious beliefs after attending Sunday church with their children. 

As the vice president freely acknowledged, "Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that, because I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way," (via YouTube). Still, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author insisted their marriage would remain unaffected if Usha's religious views remained unchanged. However, only a few months prior, the second lady appeared on "Citizen McCain" and confirmed that she had no plans to convert. Moreover, Usha and JD Vance's three kids were also in touch with their Hindu faith roots through their grandmother. So, it ultimately seems JD may have just made that admission to get a couple of cheers.