JD Vance Had a Busy Week Getting Booed at Shake Shack & Doing Putin Propaganda

The VP braved the crime-ridden streets of D.C. to give burgers to troops and gossip with Laura Ingraham about California Governor Gavin Newsom and his MAGA besties.

By Audra Heinrichs  |  August 21, 2025 | 4:53pm
Photo: Getty Images LatestPolitics
JD Vance Had a Busy Week Getting Booed at Shake Shack & Doing Putin Propaganda

On Wednesday, as federal crackdowns on the supposedly rampant crime on the streets of our nation’s capital continue, Vice President JD Vance went for a stroll. Why? To get a burger with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller at Shake Shack in Union Station.

But the disgusting brothers didn’t just buy for themselves. They made a show of handing out overpriced burgers to the national guard troops who’ve infiltrated D.C. to—in Vance’s words—keep the city safe from “vagrants, drug addicts, the chronically homeless and the mentally ill.” Fortunately, they were met by a chorus of boos (and “couch-fucker” taunts). But that didn’t deter Vance from greeting the troops with an “at ease” and the following sentiment: “You guys bust your ass all day and we give you hamburgers—not a fair trade, but we’re grateful for everything you do.” This guy sure has a way with words. 

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this was just one of the many stupid things Vance did that day. Let’s break it all down, shall we?

Vance also made an appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on Wednesday, and spoke about all things Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, his besties in the Trump administration, and his ongoing back-and-forth with California Governor Gavin Newsom. When asked about his impression of Vladimir Putin, Vance said he’s never actually met him, but he’s a real swell guy.

“You know, the American media has a particular image of him. He’s soft spoken, in a certain way. He’s very deliberate. He’s very careful,” Vance said. “And I think fundamentally he is a person who looks out for the interests, as he sees it, of Russia. And I think one of the reasons he respects the president of the United States is because he knows the president looks out for the interests of the American people.” OK!

It gets worse. Vance then proceeded to explain what exactly Putin wants from Ukraine. In short: everything.

“Russians want certain pieces of territory, most of which they’ve occupied but some of which they haven’t,” Vance said. “So that is really where the meat of the negotiation is. The Ukrainians want security guarantees, the Russians want a certain amount of territory.” So, in other words, Russia wants Ukraine to give them everything because they said so, while Ukraine just wants to exist. This is the kind of compromise that would only sound reasonable to someone in the Trump administration…and Netanyahu.

The subject then shifted to Vance’s best buddies at work. Vance boasted that he has “a lot” of good friends but was hesitant to name names because “the weird thing is, you say it’s one person and then fundamentally that’s an insult to other people.” Something tells me that’s never been Vance’s problem. In fact, I’m sure the real “weird thing” he’s referring to is claiming someone is his friend that actually…isn’t.

Anyway! Vance named Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a staunchly anti-abortion loser—and Hegseth—an accused rapist and abuser. “We are very close, we were close in the Senate, he’s been a great friend of mine, I think he’s doing a great job,” Vance said of Rubio. You mean the guy that’s yanking thousands of visas from innocent people under the guise of “terrorism”? Yeah, he rocks.

As for those in politics who are very much not his friends, Vance also spent a lot of time bemoaning Newsom, who, for the last week, has engaged in some very healthy social media bullying. Newsom’s trolling of Vance has included unflattering old photos, memes, and Trump-esque nicknames. The latest: “Just Dance Vance.” The moniker was accompanied by a meme of Vance’s face photoshopped on the body of Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, who became a viral sensation after she scored zero points in the 2024 Olympic breakdancing competition. It’s safe to say that Vance is triggered by it all.

“This idea that Gavin Newsom is somehow going to mimic Donald Trump’s style, I think that ignores the fundamental genius of President Trump’s political success, which is that he’s authentic. He just is who he is,” Vance said. “You’ve got to be yourself, you’ve got to actually talk to people honestly about the issues. I don’t think it’s that complicated; don’t be a crazy person, be authentic, if the Democrats did that, they’d do a hell of a lot better.” That Vance actually thinks Newsom is trying to be Trump, as opposed to just mocking him…well, that tells you everything you need to know.

See you here next week when Vance manipulates another body of water or inconveniences an entire community on another vacation with his family or whatever!

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