‘Dumb dumb’ VP JD Vance mocked for complaining about California

Vice President JD Vance faced a grilling from social media users on Wednesday after posting about California’s congressional district map.

In a post on X, Vance wrote that the “gerrymander in California is outrageous.”

“Of their 52 congressional districts, 9 of them are Republican. That means 17 percent of their delegation is Republican when Republicans regularly win 40 percent of the vote in that state,” Vance wrote.

“How can this possibly be allowed?” he added.

His post comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has pushed for redistricting in his own state to benefit Democrats. Newsom framed his proposal as a way to blunt a Texas plan from state GOP lawmakers that looks to pick up five Republican seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Texas Republicans on Wednesday unveiled their new U.S. House map, which would follow through on President Donald Trump’s goal of adding more winnable GOP seats in order to keep control of the House next year. Democrats, meanwhile, are left with few ways to counter.

While the Texas Legislature draws its district lines, California has relied on a bipartisan citizen redistricting commission since 2010, both of which use Census data. The commission has 14 total members: five Republicans, five Democrats and four not affiliated with either of the two major political parties.

Vance’s post was met with immediate backlash — with many social media users pointing to the Texas Republicans’ map.

“Literally today,” one user wrote, adding an article from The Texas Tribune outlining the GOP’s new redistricting map. The outlet reported that the proposal targets congressional Democrats in cities such as Austin, Dallas, Houston and in South Texas.

Newsom had weighed in on his personal X account, attaching an image detailing the “Most Gerrymandered States 2025,” according to World Population Review. The map included Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

He wrote: “Try again, dumb dumb.”

“It’s loyalty over country every damn day for the @GOP,” Newsom added in a separate post.

The Project Lincoln account said that “Texas would like a word.”

“We’re all trying to find the major political party — who has made gerrymandering a hallmark of their strategy to gain and insulate political power in the United States — who did this,” a different user joked.

The account for Texas Democrats had also swooped in: “The gerrymandering in Texas is outrageous! How can this possibly be allowed?”

Someone called Vance’s post “UTTERLY hilarious.”

“@JDVance hasn’t said a damn word about gerrymandering in Ohio or Texas, but he’s whining about California? Man, please.”

Another user said they would “ask the same of Texas.”

“How about an amendment to make congressional districts independently drawn and out of state legislature’s hands,” the user continued, adding “You wouldn’t dare as it would turn every red state with more than 2 seats purple.”

Trump has urged for Texas’ help to flip more seats red, and a similar push has picked up traction in Missouri. At the same time, Democrats in California and New York have both considered methods to stand in opposition. Texas Democrats are also considering walking out of meetings to prevent their Republican colleagues from passing the map before the state’s special session comes to an end on Aug. 19. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), however, will be able to call a new one.

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