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People are mocking Vice President JD Vance once again after he tried to make a joke during a recent speech. President Donald Trump is currently in China, while Vance is still at the White House. Apparently, being at the White House without Trump makes him feel like a child who has been left home alone without their parents or any other adult supervision.
He compared himself to Macaulay Culkin’s character in Home Alone. Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, is eight years old in the film. One morning, he wakes up and finds that his house is totally empty. His family went to the airport for a flight to Paris and accidentally left him at home.
Somehow, Trump’s trip to China makes Vance feel like he’s experiencing the same thing Kevin did in that movie.
Vance compares himself to a child without his parent around:
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) May 13, 2026
"Um… So as you know Trump just landed in China… I always… uh, I-I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. I walk into the White House, it's very quiet, and no one's there, and it takes me a second to… pic.twitter.com/8cWJaAYiKX
Although he appeared to be joking, comparing yourself to a child who was left home alone without their parents is an interesting choice, especially when you’re the vice president.
In his speech, Vance said, “So, as you know, the president just landed in China a few hours ago. I always—you may know that, because of Secret Service protocols, that I don’t travel outside of the country with the president of the United States.”
It sounds like this makes him feel… forgotten? “So, on days like today, I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone,” Vance continued. “I walk into the White House, and it’s very quiet, and no one’s there. It takes me a second to realize exactly what’s going on.”
People online actually found this comparison “embarrassing” for Vance.
Dr. Oz, who was standing behind Vance during this speech, laughed when he compared himself to Culkin’s character. It’s not clear if anyone else laughed, and critics on social media certainly didn’t find it funny. On multiple occasions, critics have called Vance out for lacking charisma. This particular speech sparked the same kind of reactions from people. “He couldn’t be more awkward if he tried,” one critic wrote on X.
Someone else said, “There is literally not one funny bone in his body.” And another person wrote, “It never ceases to amaze me how little self respect these people have.”
Additionally, people pointed out several differences between Trump’s trip to China and the first Home Alone movie. “In this version of Home Alone, they left him behind on purpose,” one commenter joked. And another person added that the White House is only quiet now because “the loud burglar finally left the house.”
And others actually found it concerning.
That’s not a leader. https://t.co/ERN97b0Vx5
— J (@Jen22Colorado) May 13, 2026
Lacking charisma is one thing, but where is Vance’s confidence? The thing that bothered people most about the weird comparison is that it didn’t make Vance sound like a capable leader. Because why is he comparing himself to a child left unsupervised, and why is he acting like he doesn’t know what to do without Trump? “He sounds very confident in his ability to step in and take command should the need arise,” one critic wrote sarcastically.
“This should be kept somewhere and brought out when he tries to run for president,” someone else commented. “Such a leader. ‘It’s like mommy and daddy are gone. I don’t know what to do.'”
READ NEXT: Now Trump Seems Bothered That Vance Was Removed By Secret Service Before Him
