Those With Eyes Will Say It’s Photoshop…

A birthday post dedicated to Vice President JD Vance has been yassified, so says the terminally online.

By Audra Heinrichs | August 5, 2025 | 12:56pm

Photo Credit: Getty Images Politics JD Vance

Those With Eyes Will Say It’s Photoshop…

Over the weekend, Vice President JD Vance celebrated his 41st birthday. Did you see the outpouring of messages rejoicing his continued existence online? Well, I didn’t either. But the Republican Party paid a public tribute…and when Vance blew out the candles on his cake, I’ll bet he wished they hadn’t.

On Saturday, the GOP’s official Twitter account posted a photo of Vance as he took the oath of office on Inauguration Day. “Happy Birthday Vice President JD Vance,” the post read. Pretty pedestrian, no? Upon closer inspection, however, the terminally online noticed something a bit more interesting. More eyeliner? No. Sign of the devil on his forehead? Not that either. When compared to the original photo, the GOP’s version of Vance appears to be edited as much trimmer than he actually is. And a lot of Twitter has taken notice.

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“@GOP The photoshop you guys did to his face and then to make his waste smaller is hilarious,” Chris D. Jackson, Democratic party chair in Tennessee, tweeted alongside the original photo. “LMFAO so embarrassing.” Never mind that he used the incorrect spelling of waist. If the GOP’s social media manager did, in fact, edit the photo, that is pretty embarrassing.

“Do you think we are all stupid?” another user replied to the post. “We know what he looks like, and he doesn’t look like that.”

When examined side-by-side, the two photos do look different. Just take a look at the flag in the background and Vance’s arm at his side. The stripes appear manipulated and, as other people online have pointed out, his waist does look smaller in the GOP’s post. Sadly, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume the photo has been edited given that Republican Congressman Mike Collins posted a modified version of Vance on his own Twitter account in October 2024. In that photo, Vance’s jaw had been edited to be more defined. These men truly went to the Callista Gingrich school of Facetune and delusion.

The GOP, nor Vance, have commented on the photo. Then again, I wouldn’t expect a statement from the latter anytime soon. Between terrorizing all of my favorite places (Disneyland, Nantucket, and the U.K.), he’s also garnered scrutiny for his leaked Spotify playlists of late. What’s on them? Well, between two playlists titled, “Making Dinner” and “Gold On The Ceiling,” there’s Whitney Houston, Tracy Chapman, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, and the Backstreet Boys. As them rightfully pointed out, they’re “bafflingly gay.” However, I’ll note that they’re not even half as gay as those made by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s nominee for State Department as the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, Jacob Helberg.

Anyway, if I were Vance I’d be laying low about now. But because he’s him, he’ll probably pop up at one of my other favorite places (the local Sephora, my nearest bodega, etc. etc.) this week.

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