‘How Dare You!’: JD Vance Grew Visibly Rattled When Reporter Cornered Him Over Trump’s Suspicious Activity, Then the Room Watched Him Spiral Into a Whiny Tirade
Vice President JD Vance reprimanded a reporter after he asked a question about President Donald Trump’s financial disclosures.
The documents were released last week and showed that Trump made more than 3,700 stock trades in companies he has flattered at White House events, on his social media platform, and in some that are impacted by his policies.
At the White House press briefing on Tuesday, May 19, in a room full of reporters, Vance danced and dodged, slithered and squirmed, and smiled uncomfortably as the reporter asked a direct question about “corruption” and Vance’s pledge to prevent fraud and how that squares with Trump’s financial transactions as president.
“The president’s financial disclosures were released recently, and they showed a lot of stock trades in companies that he has talked up at events, official events at the White House, on his Truth Social account, sometimes even putting the stock ticker symbols in his posts and encouraging people to buy their, their stock,” the journalist began.
“Americans, according to recent polling, are increasingly describing the president as corrupt and trading stocks,” he tried to continue, but Vance interrupted.
“This is a hell of a question,” Vance grumbled.
“Thank you, sir,” the reporter said before pointing out something Vance surely did not want dredged up.
“Trading individual stocks is something that you said that public officials should not be able to do when you ran for Senate all those all those years ago, and yet the president, who arguably has access to more non-public information than your average senator is not only buying and selling individual stocks, either through his trust,” but Vance interjected again.
“OK, what’s the question?”
“The question, sir, is how can you and your administration argue to Americans that you’re cleaning up corruption, you’re preventing fraud, you’re fighting the sorts of things that harm people and people’s financial situations when the president seems to be talking about stocks that he owns, selling them, enriching himself,” the journalist tried to finish.
Vance interrupted for a third time.
“OK, so let me let me answer your question here,” he began, but he didn’t answer the question, at least not at first. Instead, he launched into a lecture, berating the reporter for asking the question.
“That was a doozy. Before I answer your question, I want to just observe there are different ways to ask a question. OK? You can just ask a question, try to get your answer, or you could do, like, a speech where you say, ‘You know, Mr. Vice President, every, you know, you’re a terrible human being, and so is the president, so is the entire Cabinet.’ And then I’m like, ‘What’s your question?’ And then your question is like, ‘How dare you?’ Come on, man. Have a little bit of objectivity in how you ask these questions,” Vance whined.
Vance went on trying to defend Trump, even going so far as saying he’s so wealthy, others are actually managing his investments, as if that somehow justifies what critics call clear insider trading.
A social media uproar followed, with comments calling out Vance’s lame defense to accusations that he’s mimicking Trump.
“Classic dodge. Make it about the person asking the question, rather than answering the question. Really lame, JD,” a Threads user declared.
“Can’t answer the question so the only thing he can do is attack the person who asks it. Same playbook as his boss,” another Threads user observed.
This Threads user had some advice for the media.
“This is all they do: demean, belittle, and bully anyone who asks anything they don’t want to talk about. The press should stop turning up.”
Poster PixPopPixie suggested lying doesn’t come naturally or as easily for Vance as Trump and others in his orbit.
“I see a man who is having a hard time lying again. If you watch without sound JD VANCE’s face is telling. It’s incredible that he sold himself to be one of the lowest of the low.”
The corruption playing out across the Trump administration is putting Vance in a bind. Back in March, Trump appointed him the U.S. “fraud czar,” putting Vance in charge of the new federal benefits fraud task force and charging Vance with leading an aggressive investigation into theft and misappropriation of taxpayer money, according to Time.