VP Vance defends young worker against social media backlash

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Vice President JD Vance demonstrated his leadership qualities Friday in a heated exchange with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna over the controversial resignation of DOGE worker Marko Elez.

The situation began when The Wall Street Journal uncovered controversial social media posts made by the 25-year-old Elez, leading to his forced resignation. The posts in question included statements such as “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” and “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.”

Both President Trump and Elon Musk advocated for Elez’s reinstatement despite the controversial writings. Vance joined their stance on X, stating “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever.” He further added, “So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”

For the sake of both of our kids? Grow up.

Racist trolls on the internet, while offensive, don't threaten my kids. You know what does? A culture that denies grace to people who make mistakes. A culture that encourages congressmen to act like whiny children. https://t.co/xpLjhfk6Bz

— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 7, 2025

The situation escalated when Congressman Khanna, who is Indian-American, challenged Vance on X, asking “Are you going to tell him to apologize for saying ‘Normalize Indian hate’ before this rehire? Just asking for the sake of both of our kids.”

Vance, whose wife Usha and three children are also Indian-American, responded forcefully to Khanna’s tweet. “For the sake of both of our kids? Grow up. Racist trolls on the internet, while offensive, don’t threaten my kids,” he wrote. “You know what does? A culture that denies grace to people who make mistakes. A culture that encourages congressmen to act like whiny children.”

The Vice President continued his response, expressing his disdain for what he perceived as emotional manipulation. He emphasized his belief in allowing young people to make mistakes and learn from them, stating “I cannot overstate how much I loathe this emotional blackmail pretending to be concern. My kids, god willing, will be risk-takers. They won’t think constantly about whether a flippant comment or a wrong viewpoint will follow them around for the rest of their lives.”

So impressed with Vance.

Perfect response to Dem hack brimming w/fake outrage over Big Balls.

'You Disgust Me': JD Vance Rips Into Ro Khanna Over Victimhood Politics, Parenting in Wild X Exchange https://t.co/DX29tU9moV

— Howie Carr (@HowieCarrShow) February 8, 2025

Vance further elaborated on his position, reflecting on his own past: “They will tell stupid jokes. They will develop views that they later think are wrong or even gross. I made mistakes as a kid, and thank God I grew up in a culture that encouraged me to grow and learn and feel remorse when I screwed up and offer grace when others did.”

He concluded his response with a direct criticism of Khanna, stating “I don’t worry about my kids making mistakes, or developing views they later regret. I don’t even worry that much about trolls on the internet. You know what I do worry about, Ro? That they’ll grow up to be a US Congressmen who engages in emotional blackmail over a kid’s social media posts. You disgust me.”