Opinion: JD Vance thinks Trump deserves to grift more money and trans kids deserve less humanity

Without Donald Trump, JD Vance would be my pick for the most unpopular — dare I say despised — person in America. Sometimes I think he tries to be a jerk because he’s just so good at it.

Somebody with a bit of political background once told me that Vance is doing his best to be Trump’s most devoted suck-up. But I’m not sure. I think Vance was born an asshat, and as he’s gotten older, he's perfected the art of it.

He outdid himself during a recent appearance on Mark Halperin’s 2WAY Tonight, where Vance offered an astonishingly obtuse defense of Trump and his family’s relentless monetization of the public trust, otherwise known as grifting in broad daylight.

When pressed on the endless stream of foreign business deals, book contracts, and digital trading cards, to name just a few of their shameless moneymaking endeavors, Vance claimed the Trumps were actually the victims.

He professed to feel deeply sorry for them during Trump’s first term, lamenting that they were “attacked” and that Trump’s political ambitions nearly “destroyed” their lives. Hey, Vance, you moron, two of Trump’s companies were convicted in 2022 of crimes including criminal tax fraud. That’s accountability, however much you want to sell it as persecution.

Related: Not to worry, JD Vance is ready to be your next president if there's a 'terrible tragedy'

Calling the Trump family’s sprawling business interests a tragedy is outlandish. Vance argued that the Trumps were simply entitled to “earn a living.”

See what I mean about trying to be a jerk?

Trump’s job as president pays him $400,000 a year, plus a $50,000 expense account. A $400,000 salary is more than enough to earn a living. What more does anyone need, Vance?

This staggering lack of awareness about how off-putting he comes across is becoming part of Vance’s shtick. Here’s one of my favorite examples. During an appearance on Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It podcast, Vance bragged about how his life had been “totally transformed” since taking office.

“I don’t go to the grocery store anymore,” he boasted. “People go to the grocery store for me. I don’t have to cook anymore because I have an army of people willing to cook my food.”

Comments like these make me wonder how Vance expects to sell himself as a future president. God, can you imagine this guy in the White House? I hope I didn’t ruin your day with that thought.

What’s the pitch to voters? While ordinary Americans scramble to balance their checkbooks and afford groceries, Vance is crowing about having people at his beck and call.

He is entirely insulated from the economic realities of everyday life. He even acknowledged the danger of this lifestyle, noting that it could turn someone into an “entitled asshole.” But in Vance’s case, it has just made him a bigger one.

Vance’s true vindictive venom, however, is never directed at the Trumps, wealthy elites like himself, or the system that caters to him. Instead, he trains his sights on some of the most vulnerable people in America: transgender children.

During his campaign swing for the 2026 midterm elections, Vance has turned the mere existence of trans youth into a horrifically cruel campaign talking point. Apparently, mocking children and the people who care about them is easier than offering voters a record worth defending.

At a rally in Tyler, Texas, Vance mocked Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico for saying he “loved trans children.” He also insinuated that Talarico was gay, as if that were an insult.

Vance added, “Now you got to wonder what the internet search history of a man like that looks like. Ladies and gentlemen, you don't want to find out.” When pressed, Vance later admitted he was “just guessing.” He just goes lower, and lower, and lower.

The other day, I was running when nature called. I raced to a nearby porta-potty that hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The muck inside almost made me vomit. That’s what Vance’s rhetoric reminds me of.

And the people in the Texas crowd who cheered and laughed at his disgusting words were wallowing right along with him.

Related: JD Vance, who once thought he was gay before changing his name twice, suggests James Talarico is gay

Vance’s obsession with gender and identity doesn’t stop at sludgy remarks. As head of the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force, he urged the Justice Department to investigate dozens of hospitals over allegations of improper billing for gender-affirming care. His request cited a Department of Health and Human Services report whose title described that care as “the fraud of ‘gender medicine.’” Allegations are not findings of wrongdoing, but they give the administration another way to pressure providers and their patients.

There is, to quote Vance, a “weird” irony here that mirrors Trump’s fixation on men’s bodies. At recent rallies, Trump has bizarrely gushed over the physiques of Republican candidates, dwelling on their bodies while tearing down opponents with emasculating insults.

Both men operate on a toxic double standard. They celebrate billionaire wealth and power while treating transgender children’s identities — and the care those children receive — as threats demanding government intervention.

Vance has no problem with Trump using the presidency to advance his family’s interests. Yet he can find plenty of outrage for a politician who says he loves trans children.

Back to that horrifying Texas rally. While Vance was yammering, someone shouted, “I love you,” to which Vance pathetically and grossly replied, “I love you too, sir — in a totally platonic way, to be clear. I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.”

See what I mean about that porta-potty sludge?

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