Kathrine Frich
JD Vance has already found himself at the centre of multiple online storms.
Clips of his speeches and expressions has quickly been turned into viral memes several times.
As vice president under Donald Trump, that level of scrutiny and mockery has become almost routine.
Now, another moment is spreading fast across social media.
Empty arena
Video shared by journalist Jake Traylor showed large sections of empty seats during Vance’s speech at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia.
According to the caption cited by WP, the venue appeared far from full, with claims it was not even a quarter occupied.
The footage rapidly gained traction, surpassing 5.5 million views shortly after being posted.
Viral reaction
The video prompted widespread discussion online, with users questioning attendance levels at the event.
Traylor suggested there may have been a miscalculation in estimating how many people would attend the speech.
The visual contrast between the size of the arena and the number of attendees became a focal point of the reaction.
Ukraine comments
During his address, Vance spoke about US policy toward Ukraine, reiterating his stance on limiting American involvement.
He said: “one of the duties of a citizen is to think of the best interests of your country, not the country you came from.”
He added: “You have to think of yourself as an American.”
Campaign stance
Vance also referenced a past campaign encounter with a Ukrainian-American voter who challenged his position on funding the war.
“I still believe that. That’s one of the things we did during this administration that I’m most proud of, that we told Europe that if they wanted to buy weapons, they could, but the United States was no longer buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine,” he said.
The vice president’s remarks come amid ongoing debate in the US over support for Ukraine.
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Sources: Social media (X), Jake Traylor, WP.
