New Delhi: Months-old remarks by US Vice-President JD Vance have resurfaced online, reigniting criticism over what many are calling racially charged and anti-immigrant language. In the now-viral clip from July, Vance appeared to contrast “American talent” with what he described as a “foreign class of servants and professors”.
The comments, originally made during a discussion on student visas and foreign talent, have triggered outrage across social media, with many accusing the US Vice President of reinforcing racial hierarchies and undermining the contributions of immigrants to US innovation.
In the resurfaced clip, Vance said, “If you go back to the ’50s and ’60s, the American space programme … was built by American citizens, some German and Jewish scientists who had come over during World War II, but mostly by American citizens who built an incredible space programme with American talent. This idea that American citizens don’t have the talent to do great things, that you have to import a foreign class of servants and professors… I just reject that. I actually think we invest in our own people.”
The remarks were made as part of a broader argument defending restrictions on foreign student visas, which Vance has described as a step towards giving Americans greater opportunities in science and academia.
The clip has been widely shared on X, where users and commentators slammed the US Vice President for framing immigrants as a “servant class”. One post read: “Germans = talent, everyone else = servants? The mask slips again.”
Another said: “This rhetoric may win applause from nativists, but it insults every immigrant who helped build modern America.”
The video has drawn over a million views within hours of resurfacing, with “JD Vance” and “foreign servants” trending across platforms.
Critics say Vance’s phrasing carries racial undertones, implicitly suggesting that “talent” lies with certain groups while others are relegated to servitude.
Historians and fact-checkers have also pointed out that immigrant and non-white scientists played crucial roles in the US space and tech industries, directly contradicting Vance’s narrative.
Supporters, however, argue that his comments were taken out of context and that Vance was simply emphasising investment in American citizens rather than demeaning foreigners.
Vance’s broader stance on immigration aligns with a tougher “America First” approach that seeks to limit work and student visas while expanding opportunities for US nationals.