In an awkward moment that reminded everyone of Jeb Bush’s “You can clap now” incident, Vice President JD Vance was booed by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation after he mentioned artificial intelligence. Vance attempted to brush it off, saying it was a “Don’t shoot the messenger” situation, mentioning that other speakers at graduations had faced booing for talking about AI. When the crowd booed him again, he tried to assert his authority by saying, “You can’t boo me, I’m the Vice President of the United States.” His claim of power is a reminder of the saying: “If you have to say you have power, you don’t.” Or, to put it in the words of Rodney Dangerfield, poor JD just isn’t getting any respect.
But why is that?
Maybe it’s because we remember when Vance called Trump “America’s Hitler” and now acts as his devoted supporter, twisting the truth for him every day. Like Trump, Vance seems to believe he should be above criticism and thinks that the newly graduated Air Force officers should blindly follow the political leaders, no matter how foolish their orders may be. While some partisans might laugh off this moment, the crowd’s response says a lot. Even at a military academy, young Americans aren’t convinced by the Trump administration’s claims, and like all sensible young people, they are wary of AI’s unchecked influence, especially with industry leaders making large donations to support the MAGA agenda.
The arrogance and sensitivity shown by this couch-loving, mascara-wearing follower are truly off-putting.
People don’t like you, JD. And as Louis Armstrong said, if you have to ask why, you’ll never understand.
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