The Atlantic really thought they had something with this one. They saw a bunch of memes of JD Vance with chubby cheeks, a lollipop, and a little propeller hat, and their first instinct was, Aha! The right must be turning on him! Bless their hearts. Instead of realizing that conservatives are just having fun—because humor is allowed in the MAGA movement—they launched into a tortured analysis about how Vance is somehow fading into irrelevance, overshadowed by Trump, Elon Musk, and RFK Jr. Never mind that the guy is literally the Vice President of the United States. But sure, Atlantic, tell us again how he’s “a fringe figure.”
This is classic left-wing projection. They’re so used to their own side melting down at the first sign of mockery that they assume Republicans must operate the same way. Remember when leftist Twitter lost its collective mind over “Dark Brandon” memes because they thought they had stumbled onto some genius rebrand of Joe Biden? That whole thing was born out of right-wing mockery.
For a while, Democrats actually convinced themselves that turning Grandpa Joe into a laser-eyed warlord would somehow distract from the fact that he shuffles around like a nursing home escapee. How’d that work out? Biden’s approval ratings were in freefall, and his public appearances are now a series of gaffes, vacant stares, and incomprehensible ramblings.
The online right has a fondness for J. D. Vance. So why are right-wing accounts posting memes of the vice president that make him look like a doofus? @alibreland reports: https://t.co/vYFAZpZTRs
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 9, 2025
But back to the Vance memes. The Atlantic tried to spin this as some kind of quiet Republican revolt against Trump’s VP, when in reality, it’s the exact opposite. Vance himself thinks the memes are funny. Trump thinks they’re funny. The entire right-wing internet thinks they’re funny. Because here’s what the left doesn’t get: the MAGA movement actually knows how to take a joke. That’s why when liberals desperately try to meme Trump as an orange baby or a Cheeto, it doesn’t work—his base doesn’t take the bait. They just make him look even more like a pop culture juggernaut. And now, with Vance, they’re doing the same thing: embracing the joke, running with it, and making it impossible for the left to use it as a weapon.
Your complete incapacity to understand the concept of humor is breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/oULiVNzdIN
— North Hills Observer (@asotvitw) March 9, 2025
Oh and even the Vice President is posting them himself:
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 8, 2025
One X user summed it up perfectly: “The right is having so much fun roasting Vance’s baby fat that it’s just completely neutered the left’s capacity to make fun of him.” And they’re absolutely right. The second conservatives start posting the memes themselves—jokingly calling Vance “Mistow VP” and saying Zelensky needs to “say pwease and tank you”—it takes all the sting out of the joke. The left thought they were going to mock Vance into oblivion, but instead, they just handed the right an entire new catalog of inside jokes. And if there’s one thing the online right does better than anyone, it’s turning internet culture into political fuel.
— Criminals4GunSafety ☢️ (@Crimnls4Safety) March 9, 2025
And let’s be honest—if there was a single ounce of truth to the Atlantic’s theory that the right is “turning on” Vance, we wouldn’t need a think piece to explain it. We’d see actual dissatisfaction, not people making memes for fun. No one’s worried about Vance’s standing in the movement, least of all Trump. The left just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that a Republican administration can be both effective and hilarious at the same time.
So while the Atlantic wrings its hands and tries to play meme psychologist, the right will keep laughing—and winning.
