Vance Humiliated After Getting Basic Definition Wrong
The vice president’s answer was way off.
The Trump administration has repeatedly attacked Democrats as socialists, but it turns out the president’s righthand man doesn’t have a strong grasp of the term.
Vice President JD Vance is being dragged for his response after he was asked how he personally defines socialism and why he thinks socialist candidates are popping up across the country.
“Oh man, you know, I guess, it’s honestly, it’s a hard term to define these days because very often, socialism, you know, classically, you would think socialism is about prioritizing workers,” Vance said.
But his answer took an even stranger turn from there.
The internet is lighting up over Vice President JD Vance's wrong answer on what the definition of socialism is.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
“In reality, I guarantee that most of the self-described socialists running across the United States of America are going to howl about this announcement today, which is prioritizing American workers over foreign workers, so I don’t know what the term means anymore,” the vice president continued.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is that you want to replace American workers with foreign workers and you want boys to play in girls’ sports,” Vance said.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Vance gave his bizarre answer while touting his efforts to cut fraud and abuse on Thursday in Washington, D.C.
The internet was quick to weigh in that the Yale-educated vice president’s definition could not be more wrong.
“JD Vance defines ‘socialism’ as... the free movement of labor & capital across borders, and transgender girls playing on girls sports teams. In other words, anything he personally finds icky,“ wrote Brookings Institute fellow Jessica Riedl. ”And he’s supposed to represent the highly educated, intellectual wing of MAGA."

X

X
“In the VP’s defense, if he accurately defined socialism, it would arguably apply to the 35 government ownership stakes the Trump administration has taken in the last 16 months,” noted Scott Lincicome, vice president of the Cato Institute.
“Not even close to the correct definition of socialism,” wrote former Ambassador Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at Brookings.
“‘Socialism is when I don’t like something,’” wrote former congressman and Trump critic Justin Amish, reacting on X.
“The dumbest VP in history,” added Democratic strategist Mike Nellis on X.
“This clips explains why all of those GOP attack ads aren’t landing like they hoped,” wrote former Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.

X
In reality, socialism by definition is a system where production and the distribution of goods are owned by the public, or under social control, rather than under private control.
Vance’s made-up definition comes as Republicans have been repeatedly attacking Democrats as socialists as the midterms approach. President Donald Trump repeatedly labels Democratic candidates as socialists in his Truth Social posts and even used taxpayer money on a pro-Trump ad in which he declares, “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and marxism in America.”
The president himself has been accused of promoting socialist policies. His administration has been investing in multiple private companies during his second term, including a 10 percent stake in Intel.
At the same time, the president has vowed to send $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans keep their majorities in Congress, a move that critics have called an attempt to bribe voters before the election. Trump has also promised DOGE dividends and tariff checks since retaking office but has failed to come through on those.
He’s also undermined his own attacks on Democrats by fawning over self-described Democratic socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during their appearances together.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.



ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT