# Whatever happened to JD Vance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 11, 2025, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837 "2025-01-11T07:31:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/21 "2025-01-13T01:04:28Z")
Thank you. Beat me to the Lehrer reference- but that’s okay ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/22 "2025-01-13T01:05:12Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Trumpworld understands the political value of occasionaly throwing some of their own under the bus. > > Now, if Donald does pardon every last J6 criminal, he still will have thrown a Trumper under the bus — JD Vance. But I think Trump will do what Vance expects. Could it be that Vance was _meant_ to be doing a trial balloon, so that Trump and co can decide who to pardon based on the reaction? ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/23 "2025-01-13T01:41:45Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Could it be that Vance was _meant_ to be doing a trial balloon, so that Trump and co can decide who to pardon based on the reaction? There’s zero percent chance that Vance didn’t vet what he was going to say in a Fox News interview through Trump’s people, if not Trump himself, beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/24 "2025-01-13T01:43:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Could it be that Vance was _meant_ to be doing a trial balloon, so that Trump and co can decide who to pardon based on the reaction? At Trump’s behest, do you mean? “Hey, JD, you should go on Fox and say that some of the rioters shouldn’t be pardoned. If people hate the idea, I can dodge the fallout and you’ll get all hatred.” I don’t think Vance is stupid enough to go along with that. If it was a trial balloon, he would have given it to an underling or someone else expendable. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/25 "2025-01-13T01:44:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He opened his mouth today and pissed off the magacult by saying that not all of the 1/6 traitors should get pardoned. trump said that same- trump said he would not pardon those convicted of violent crimes, iirc. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/26 "2025-01-13T01:48:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Could it be that Vance was _meant_ to be doing a trial balloon, so that Trump and co can decide who to pardon based on the reaction? Yes it could. If so, Trump, as DrDeth notes, [hoisted the balloon himself last month](https://time.com/7201565/person-of-the-year-2024-donald-trump-transcript/): > [@](#): > > I’m going to do case-by-case and if they were non-violent, I think they’ve been greatly punished. And the answer is I will be doing that, yeah, I’m going to look if there’s some that really were out of control. . . . > > A vast majority should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely. So Vance was just repeating his boss’s line with slightly better English. I think DJT values his [moderate image](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4872379-democrats-frustrated-polling-trump/). Throwing the occasional supporter under the bus is something he does to burnish it. Or maybe he just does it because he’s not a nice man. Vance seems OK with that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/27 "2025-01-13T02:09:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > trump said that same- trump said he would not pardon those convicted of violent crimes, iirc. That is my recollection as well ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/28 "2025-01-13T02:48:31Z")
He’s in The Den. Isn’t that where The Kiddie Table is always set up? ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/29 "2025-01-14T14:55:01Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > He’s still recuperating after that surprise attack by fact-checkers in the VP debate. You can find him on the couch. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/30 "2025-01-14T16:15:05Z")
Vance laying low is about the most normal thing happening in the pre-Trump administration. It’s exactly what I would expect the not quite vice president to do. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/31 "2025-01-14T16:29:59Z")
From The Onion: > **[JD Vance Begins To Suspect There Another Group Chat](https://theonion.com/jd-vance-begins-to-suspect-there-another-group-chat/)** > > PALM BEACH, FL—Noticing everyone else’s phone simultaneously buzzing throughout a meeting, Vice President-elect JD Vance began to suspect there was another group chat among Trump’s senior staff that he wasn’t part of, sources confirmed Monday. “It... Damn. That moment when you figure out you’re not in the group chat AND everyone else is at an event that you didn’t even know about. 🤦🏽‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/32 "2025-01-14T23:51:08Z")
That was hilarious. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837/33 "2025-01-15T00:38:25Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > That was hilarious. And quite possibly true. “America’s Finest News Source,” indeed. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-jd-vance/1012837.md?page=1)