Vice President JD Vance drew online backlash because of a Fox News interview where he declared fraudsters should be imprisoned.
During the Wednesday interview, Vance said that the fraud against the American taxpayer should be met with prison time, regardless of who is committing the fraud.
"I don't care what your name is," Vance said during the interview. "If you're committing fraud against the American people, all of us in public leadership should be trying to stop it and try to throw you in prison for enriching yourself off of the American taxpayer."
Online critics were quick to point out what seemed to them like blatant hypocrisy on Vance's part, especially as Trump's personal wealth has reportedly grown by $2.2 billion during his first year back in the presidency.
"Said, without self-awareness or irony, as Donald Trump tripled his wealth grifting off the presidency over the last year and a half," responded political organizer Melanie D'Arrigo in a post on X.
"The only way that this could be less self-aware is if Vance was condemning people married to women named Usha," progressive political podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen wrote, referring to Second Lady Usha Vance.
"You gotta be joking," posted former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger. "This has to be AI."
"He's so close to getting it," joked podcaster Hemant Mehta about Vance's comments.
In a post on Bluesky, journalist Thor Benson described the clip as "JD Vance calls for Trump to be imprisoned."
Similarly, media producer Andrew O'Keefe described it as, "JD Vance announces plan to throw Donald J. Trump into prison."
"JD Vance's boss has pardoned over 70 people that committed fraud," noted prominent activist Jamie Bonkiewicz. Indeed, Trump has pardoned convicted fraudsters like Adam Kidan and Trevor Milton.
"And if convicted, you can always ask Trump for a pardon!" wrote journalist Michael McGough.