JD Vance’s attempt at humor fell flat during the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning.
Speaking at the inaugural session of Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, Vance shared the stage with President Trump, Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The event drew leaders from over 45 countries, with Trump highlighting his efforts to promote peace in Gaza.
Vance opened his speech with a joke aimed at New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, referencing her recent appearance at the Munich Security Conference. In his words:
"I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but after the president praised me and I didn’t want to repeat our Congresswoman, who froze for 20 seconds in Munich… now I’m tempted to just freeze for 20 seconds myself and stare at the cameras. Maybe they’ll say nice things about me, like they did about Congresswoman Cortez."
The joke, however, landed with awkward silence. Social media quickly reacted, with users mocking Vance’s attempt at humor. On X, one user wrote, "Never knew it was possible to be that uncharismatic and embarrassing," while another added, "JD Vance has to be one of the most socially awkward people I’ve ever seen. It’s painful to watch him."
Meanwhile, viewers noticed that as the meeting stretched past two hours, President Trump appeared to nod off at times, even swaying in his chair.
During his own remarks, Trump highlighted the rebranding of the venue itself. The former U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters was renamed the "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace." Trump joked:
"This building was built for peace. Nobody knew what to name it, and then Marco named it after me. I had nothing to do with it, I swear. They said, 'There's a surprise coming.' I thought they were gonna give me a lot of money or something. Maybe cash. Can always use some extra cash."
Vance’s attempt to poke fun at AOC seemed to backfire in a room full of world leaders, leaving many online viewers cringing rather than laughing.
Comments
Post a Comment