What to Know
In what some critics saw as an attempt to come across more Trump-like, Vice President JD Vance took to social media to mock Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is a disabled combat veteran. Vance was reacting to a heated exchange between Duckworth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that broke out during a recent Senate hearing. In an X post, he wrote, “Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.”
In case you’re not familiar, the character Forrest Gump has an intellectual disability and a physical disability in the movie that shares the same name. Duckworth lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq.
Duckworth later responded to Vance’s comment.
In her own X post, she called Vance out for his “petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities.” She also mentioned President Donald Trump’s lack of combat experience. “Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs,” she wrote. “Petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won’t change the fact that you’re risking troops’ lives to boost Chevron’s stock price. It’s my job to hold you accountable.”
Several other politicians also called Vance out for his comments, including Senator Dick Durbin, who called Vance’s insult “low and beneath the dignity of a Vice President.” Durbin wrote, “Senator Duckworth has never backed away from a fight, even with a Vice President. She has fought for and won a seat in the Senate where she fights for veterans, those with disabilities, and the people of our state. J.D. Vance should focus on repairing the chaos his President has created, not on a Senator who has earned the respect of the Senate for her courage and effectiveness.”
Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 28, 2026
Petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won't change the fact that you're risking troops' lives to boost Chevron's stock price.
It's my job to hold you accountable. https://t.co/KTVMtUPLBe
And many others called him out as well.
Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 28, 2026
People on Reddit called Vance “beyond embarrassing” and “despicable” for saying this. Some noted that it almost seems like he’s trying to be as similar to Trump as possible — but it’s not working out for him. “Testing the waters to see if you can be Trump Lite?” one critic questioned. “Trump can call veterans idiot losers, and they will vote for him in droves, but don’t think that carries over to you, couch boy.”
Someone else said, “He’s trying so hard to step into Trump’s shoes, and it’s only going to make people hate him more.”
But maybe his Trump admin colleagues are just rubbing off on him. To some critics, it seems like Trump administration officials are actually competing to see who can stoop lower. “Everyone in this regime is easily tied for the worst person you’ve ever heard of,” someone commented. Trump has made offensive comments that would’ve ruined just about anyone else’s career for years now, so although Vance’s comment offended lots of people, people aren’t convinced that the backlash will really affect him in any meaningful way.
“Who remembers when this would’ve ended a politician’s career?” another person wrote in response. Notably, Vance has not always talked like this and once called himself a “Never Trump guy,” but lately, he seems to be “mimicking” the president.
