BIRTHDAY GIFT

GOP Accused of Photoshopping JD Vance’s Birthday Picture

Did the GOP digitally slim down the vice president?

Vice President JD Vance’s waistline may have gotten a digital nip and tuck courtesy of the GOP.

To mark his 41st birthday on Saturday, the party’s official X account posted a photo of Vance overlaid with the message: “Happy Birthday Vice President J.D. Vance.”

But internet sleuths quickly zeroed in on a number of oddities in the image they claim proves that the vice president had been retouched.

Vance’s thumb appears to be cut off, while the stars on the flag behind him—particularly around his head—look strangely distorted and blurred. His right triceps seem almost to vanish, blending into a misshapen arm that doesn’t quite align with the rest of his physique.

And compared to the original image, which was taken on Inauguration Day in January as Vance arrived to take the oath of office at the Capitol, the space between his waist and right arm appears widened—possibly to make his torso look slimmer.

The Daily Beast reached out to JD Vance’s office and the Republican National Committee for comment.

If true, it wouldn’t be the first time that Vance had his photos doctored.

Back in 2024, MAGA Rep. Mike Collins—who is currently running to become a senator for Georgia—posted a heavily edited image of Vance, featuring a chiseled jawline and a noticeably slimmer face, that transformed him into the “Chad” archetype favored in some far-right corners of the internet. Intended as a tribute, the post instead became instant fodder for ridicule, as reported by The New Republic.

A digitally altered image depicting a bald and bloated Vance first appeared in February and has haunted the vice president ever since, although he told the right-wing outlet Blaze Media in March that he has seen the various memes created with the image and thinks it’s a funny trend.

Vance has spoken candidly about his weight-loss journey, telling Daily Mail while on the campaign trail last year that he lost 30 pounds after becoming a senator in 2022.

He denied taking weight-loss medications like Ozempic. “I haven’t taken any drugs. Obviously, you eat a little bit less, but it’s also just eating better,” he said. “I tend to skip breakfast, whereas before I would have, like, you know, three waffles and scrambled eggs and bacon.”

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Liam Archacki

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