Vice President-elect Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio recently shared a memorable campaign moment that showcased how children perceive politics. Calling it the “second-best day on the campaign trail,” with Election Day being the first, Vance reflected on a memorable encounter between his son and the media.
As Vance recounted the story, “My four-year-old walked into the back of the plane – the Trump Force Two plane – and told the media that they were all fake news,” he said.
Vance: My favorite day on the campaign is when my four year old daughter told the reporters on Trump Force 2 that they were all Fake News ????????pic.twitter.com/LOgmueYGIE
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 15, 2024
The story was met with laughter, as Vance humorously added that his puppy later went to the back of the plane to relieve itself. He remarked that the moment “speaks to how we think of the fake news.”
Vance joked that he feared facing a domestic terrorism charge for what happened that day. As reported by People, Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri, are parents to three children — Ewan, 7; Vivek, 4; and Mirabel, 2.
Vance and his wife also brought their children along during the campaign. He shared, “Seeing the country from the perspective of a seven-year-old, a four-year-old, and a two-year-old, with all the crazy s–t that they say, the observations that they have.” He went on to describe how his son, Vivek, would point to the media and ask, “Daddy, is that the fake news?” Vance would laugh and say, “No, we’re not allowed to say that, son.”
In February, Vance marked Vivek’s birthday on the Senate floor, as noted by The Hill. After opposing further aid to Ukraine, Vance shifted gears, saying, “Now, I want to move on to another argument. But before I do, I am mindful of something that’s very close to my heart personally.”
He continued, “I have a little guy named Vivek, who was 3 years old yesterday but turned 4 today. And I’m sorry that I can’t be with you for your birthday dinner, but I want you to know that Daddy loves you very much. And I’m going to read this into the record because maybe you can watch it at home,” before reciting Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss.
NBC cited an anonymous source who said Vance turned the media’s hostile reception to his advantage. “We successfully leveraged how unhinged the media was and flipped it to our advantage,” the source claimed. “We allowed JD to basically show his chops. The real irony is if the media wasn’t so biased and it wasn’t so obvious, he probably wouldn’t be the star he is today,” the source added.
