What to Know
Right now, 2016 nostalgia is trending on social media. As people participating in the trend shared their throwback photos from 10 years ago, some social media users wondered what Republicans like Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were saying at the time. Their resurfaced posts are reminding everyone that how they spoke about the current president then is a far cry from how they talk about him now.
And while lots of people on social media are having fun with the seemingly harmless trend, it’s a pretty awkward time to be a former Trump hater who now works for him.
In 2016, Vance made it clear that he was a “Never Trump guy.”
Now, ten years later, he’s obviously Trump’s vice president, which is… interesting. Content creator Kristen Bennett drew attention to this dramatic shift by compiling old posts and quotes from prominent Republicans and making a video. “The 2016 trend but with Republicans made sense,” Kristen wrote over the clip.
According to the video, in October 2016, Vance wrote, “what percentage of the American population has [Trump] sexually assaulted?” Kristen also included a quote from a Charlie Rose interview Vance did in 2016. “I’m a Never Trump guy,” Vance said at the time. “I never liked him.”
Additionally, Vance described Trump as “unfit for our nation’s highest office.” So, what changed? Reacting to the quotes in the clip, one social media user wrote, “It’s almost like JD Vance stands for absolutely nothing and will say whatever it takes to get ahead. 🤔”
The video also featured several posts from Rubio, who in 2016 described Trump as “a con artist” and “dangerous.” Another critic commented, “Funny how all of them have seemingly sold their souls to him.” Someone else said, “Integrity? Na Honesty? Na Souls? Naaa.”
Another content creator highlighted some 2016 throwback posts from Republicans.
Annie Wu also shared an Instagram Reel about Republicans in 2016, and compiled some of the old Vance quotes for a post on X. “POV it’s 2016 and you are the Trump’s future VP @JDVance,” Annie wrote on the platform. In one of his posts from 2016, Vance said, “Fellow Christians, everyone is watching us when we apologize for this man. Lord help us.” In another, he wrote, “Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us.”
POV it’s 2016 and you are the Trump’s future VP @JDVance pic.twitter.com/MxTVM8sIuA
— Annie Wu (all socials: @annie_wu_22) (@Annie_Wu_22) January 18, 2026
People in the comments found the old posts “sickening” and called Vance “evil,” given that he has seemingly abandoned the beliefs he once held. Others still couldn’t comprehend what actually happened to Vance over the past several years. Even though this shift is upsetting (and confusing) to many, a lot of people appreciated this interpretation of the throwback trend, with one person calling it “the best 2016 dump.”
