Vice President J.D. Vance broke new ground Thursday with an unusually blunt social media post aimed at Senate Democrats, who were attacking the secretary of Health and Human Services.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Democrats sharply criticized HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several Democrat members calling for his resignation or removal. In response, Vance took to X to defend Kennedy and attack the senators questioning him.
“When I see all these senators trying to lecture and ‘gotcha’ Bobby Kennedy today, all I can think is: You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal ‘therapies’ for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma. You’re full of shit and everyone knows it,” Vance wrote.
The post marked the most confrontational use of social media by a sitting vice president, breaking with the traditionally restrained and backset style of the office. Past vice presidents have typically relied on formal statements or surrogates to deliver such sharp political criticism.
Vance’s willingness to use such language to frame his defense of Kennedy wins him points with conservatives who want the Trump Administration to fight the Left and highlights the growing role of social media as a direct platform for top officials to bypass traditional media channels and even their own communications teams.
His post quickly gained traction online, with supporters praising his bluntness and Democrats accusing him of degrading the dignity of his office — another irony that has not gone unnoticed, since they supported Kamala Harris for vice president and for president, and Hillary Clinton before that.
