What to Know
When President Donald Trump told a story about his “seriously overweight” friend, Vice President JD Vance interrupted to let everyone know Trump wasn’t talking about him. On several occasions, Trump has told this same story about his friend who has tried to lose weight with the help of weight loss drugs. According to Trump, drugs like Ozempic haven’t helped his “friend,” who definitely is not JD Vance, by the way.
When Trump has told this story in the past, some people have speculated that he was actually talking about himself, or maybe Elon Musk or White House Comms Director Steven Cheung.
Trump said he’s known this friend for “a long time.”
“My friend, who’s very successful…seriously overweight person,” Trump said during a recent Cabinet meeting. “He takes the fat pill, or the fat shot.” Trump then explained that this friend happened to be in London and noticed that the drug is significantly cheaper there. “He called me up,” Trump continued. “…He put it in a very blunt way. I’ve known him a long time. He’s a crude individual but smart as hell, made a lot of money. But he just thought it was sort of ridiculous.”
For some reason, Trump felt inclined to say that the weight loss drug (which Trump thinks is Ozempic or another similar drug) isn’t actually helping his friend lose weight. “I told him it wasn’t working. For him, it didn’t work,” Trump said. “…He knows I’m talkin’ about him. It drives him crazy. He begs me not to mention it.”
Then, Vance interrupted.
While Trump was still mid-sentence, Vance interjected to say, “He’s not talking about me.” OK? Who said he was? Presumably, Vance was trying to make a joke, and others in the room laughed when he did. But critics on social media already knew the story wasn’t about Vance for reasons other than his weight. “Yes, we know,” one person wrote on X, tagging the vice president. “You’re not ‘very successful.’ It literally couldn’t be you.” Another person commented, “No duh, JD. He said friends…something you don’t have.”
Someone else called Vance’s comment “pathetic,” while another critic wrote, “That’s the worst comedy routine I’ve ever heard.” People also questioned their priorities — because why are they telling Ozempic jokes during Cabinet meetings?
Trump: My friend, who's very successful, I told you, seriously overweight person, he takes the fat, the fat pill or the fat shot. took Ozempic. I told him it's not working for him, it didn't work
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 29, 2026
JD Vance: He's not talking about me
pic.twitter.com/OtR5NKpghn
It’s not the first time people have critiqued Vance’s jokes.
In December 2025, people were also questioning the Trump administration’s priorities when Vance told an awkward penis joke at an event. During a “really, really important” conversation, Trump interrupted to ask Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about their shoes. There was also “another politician in the room,” who Vance did not name when telling this story.
Trump reportedly asked the three of them to provide their shoe sizes. According to Vance, Rubio said he wears a size 11.5, Vance said he wears a size 13, and the other politician said they wear a size 7. Vance said, “The president, he kind of leans back in his chair and says, ‘You know, you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size.'” Then, he added, “We won’t ask the second lady for comment on that particular topic.”
