Vice President JD Vance made some startlingly racist remarks Sunday during a speech at a conservative conference in Arizona.
The 41-year-old vice president spoke Turning Point USA conference, where the slain organization founder Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk endorsed him for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, and made a number of controversial statements during his address.
Vance, according to journalist Aaron Rupar, drew the biggest applause of his speech when he claimed "by the grace of God we always will be a Christian nation."
"Wow: Overt, unapologetic Christian nationalism from the Vice President here," marveled Jack Jenkins, national correspondent for Religion News Service. "Even Trump has stopped short of saying something this explicit on the topic while President."
"Again, Vance smuggles in a false premise: That America was EVER a Christian nation," argued Bluesky user Dr. Tea, Cake, & Revolution. "He’s such a weasel."
"In the United States of America," Vance said, "you don't have to apologize for being white anymore."
That comment drew widespread criticism for its blatant racism.
"From dog whistles to bull horns, huh," said Bluesky user Nick Covington.
"Right out loud. I wonder if he recites that to his wife and kids every night at bedtime," agreed Bluesky user Mimi G.
"JD Vance is a self proclaimed f*cking racist," snarled widely followed Bluesky user PhillipUSA.
"I don’t think the mainstream news can possibly report on just how vile & dangerous this JD Vance diatribe is," said journalist Jennifer Schulze. "Some will gloss over the extremism, others will both sides it. So people need to watch the actual video to see/hear for themselves the white nationalist venom spewing from this monster."
"This tells you that Vance thinks the MAGA base isn’t just full of diehard racists; he thinks it’s full of diehard racists who are also too cowardly to be openly racist if they think people might disapprove," posted historian Kevin Kruse.
"Imagine looking in the mirror every day, seeing J.D. Vance looking back at you, and STILL being a white supremacist," sighed author Aram Sinnreich. "It must be cognitively exhausting."
"The vice president is a klansman," opined New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie.
"Worried that the base is upset about the child raping, JD Vance lures them back into the fold by reminding them that they are loved for their racism," replied retired math professor Scott Farrand.
"Jefferson Davis Vance," added Bluesky user William Smith.