Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks during the congressional tribute for the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 28, 2026. JIM LO SCALZO/Pool via REUTERS
Bulwark editor Jonathan V. Last lays into Vice President JD Vance in a new column, calling him an “Elizabeth Holmes-level Sociopath” and arguing that four of Vance’s statements reveal the dark nature of his character.
He starts with Vance’s 2024 comments on Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Vance told CNN it didn’t matter whether the debunked, racially inflammatory rumors about migrants eating people's pet cats and dogs were true and said he’d keep making stories to draw media attention, adding that “that’s what I’m going to do.”
Next, Last cites an interview in which Vance, asked about demonizing immigrants, said any imperfection in his rhetoric “is on me.”
Last then turns to Vance’s defense of Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad against Democrat Amy Acton. It features Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Last notes that court records show Acton’s stepfather was charged in 1978 with raping her and left Ohio, with her mother following. At a rally, Vance praised Ramaswamy for having “the audacity” to air the ad, and called the growing number of Republicans who object “whining.”
Finally, Last points to a podcast where Vance rated his chances of reaching heaven “a 7 or an 8,” higher than a year ago, when it was “a 5 or a 6.” Last reads that as Vance feeling better about himself as he lies.
Last’s verdict: “sociopathy, plain and simple.”
Vance is considered one of the most prominent people in the running to take over the MAGA movement from President Donald Trump after he leaves office, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio being another frequently-floated name.
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