California Governor Gavin Newsom trolled JD Vance after the vice president seized the anchor desk on Fox News to host a fluffy segment about dad jokes.
Vance, 41, is on a media blitz this week, hopping between Fox News, CNN, NBC, and ABC’s The View to flog his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, ahead of a widely anticipated 2028 presidential run. Newsom, 58, is a likely rival for the White House.
The vice president’s Tuesday turn on Fox’s The Five prompted Newsom to needle him over his future job prospects. Vance traded public service for the host’s chair to tee up a lighthearted segment built around a Washington Post-cited study suggesting “cringeworthy dad jokes” can strengthen father-child bonds.
Journalist Aaron Rupar posted a clip of the moment, writing that Vance was “auditioning to be a Fox host apparently.” Newsom’s official X account quote-tweeted it with a dry kicker: “Makes sense. JD is going to need a job in 2028 since he won’t be president.”
In the segment, Vance leaned into the bit. “All dad jokes must be terrible,” he said, before lobbing his own at co-host Dana Perino: “What do you call a fly with no wings?” The answer—“A walk”—drew groans. “That’s terrible,” a co-host shot back.
The comic interlude followed a weightier exchange on President Donald Trump’s favorite network. Vance had been quizzed about the president’s ceasefire deal with Iran, set to be signed later this week, including reports that Tehran could receive $300 billion for reconstruction—a figure Vance disputed.
The Fox cameo capped a hectic stretch for the vice president. A day earlier on The View, Vance branded his 2021 “childless cat ladies” jibe his “most boneheaded comment,” while telling the panel he believes the country has grown “more anti-family and more anti-child.” He also confessed to being an Epstein “conspiracy theorist” during the appearance.
Newsom, who is term-limited out of the governor’s mansion in January 2027, has spent months sparring with the Trump administration and positioning himself as a leading Democratic voice. The barb is the latest in a long-running online feud between the two men.
The Daily Beast has contacted the office of Vice President Vance for comment.
