Vice President JD Vance told service members that they were “full of s—” if they said they enjoy eating turkey in a speech where he spoke adamantly against the Thanksgiving staple.
While speaking to troops at Ford Campbell, Ky., on Nov. 26, Vance, 41, railed against the bird, asking the troops, “Who really likes — be honest with yourself — who really likes turkey?”
To the service members who raised their hands, Vance replied, “You’re all full of s—, everybody who raised your hand.”
JD Vance serves a Thanksgiving meal to members of the U.S. military.
Brett Carlsen/Getty
“Here’s how I know every single one of you who raised your hand is lying to me,” he continued. “How many times do you roast an 18-lbs. turkey, just randomly? Just, you know, a nice summer afternoon, we’re gonna go get an 18-lbs. turkey. Nobody does it, ‘cause turkey doesn’t actually taste that good.”
He said that “on Thanksgiving, the most American holiday,” people decide that “we’re gonna cook a turkey, by God, because that’s what Americans do.”
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“We cook this gigantic American bird, and we do all kinds of crazy things to make it taste good,” said Vance, who was on hand, along with his wife, Usha Vance, to serve a Thanksgiving meal to the troops that included the offending meat.
Vance then referenced a previous conversation with a soldier, who told him that she’s planning to deep-fry her turkey. “I’m actually going to deep fry a turkey myself,” he shared of his Thanksgiving plans. “Here’s the thing: If you’ve got to deep fry something to make it taste good, it probably isn’t that good. That’s a pretty good rule of thumb when it comes to food.”
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He didn’t have the same level of animosity for all poultry, however. “Chicken is good all the time,” he said. “Chicken is good when you deep fry it, but it’s also good outside of it.”
Vance didn’t just talk turkey, however: The vice president then went on to praise Thanksgiving, saying it’s “so American” because “at the heart of it is the spirit of gratitude. And I know that every single one of you has something tomorrow to be very thankful for and to be grateful for.“