JD Vance said that he still hasn’t reinstalled X after deleting the app from his phone for Lent
“It’s one of these things where not having that as a distraction, I think, has made me much more productive,” he said
The vice president has built a reputation around his unfiltered use of X to attack his opponents and engage in political debates
Vice President JD Vance says not having X as a “distraction” has made him feel “much more productive.”
After confirming reports that he deleted the social media app from his phone for Lent, Vance, 41, told NBC News in an interview published May 26 that taking a break from X has been beneficial for him. Lent began on Feb. 18 this year and ended on April 2.
“It’s one of these things where not having that as a distraction, I think, has made me much more productive,” he said. “You’re not scrolling all the time when you get five minutes. I can actually read something, as opposed to, you know, scroll or get distracted by X.”
While he still writes out posts for his staffers to publish on his behalf, Vance admitted that he misses the “direct interaction” he used to have with other users.
JD Vance during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House
Credit: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty
“I live in such a crazy bubble,” he explained. “I travel with Secret Service all the time. If you think about how many unplanned interactions I have in a given week, it’s close to zero, because I live in such a bubble.”
“I think one of the good things about social media is that it actually exposes you to unfiltered raw opinions, and that’s one of the things that I need to hear as a political leader,” he added. “So I will definitely reinstall it, but I’ve enjoyed my little break from it.”
Vance has built a reputation around his unfiltered use of X to attack his opponents and share his political stances with messages he often writes himself.
“I tend to err on the side of openness,” Vance said in a recent interview aboard Air Force Two, per NBC News. “That’s probably a generational thing, right? I come from a very tech-forward generation.”
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JD Vance speaks during a Turning Point USA event at Akins Ford Arena
Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty
“It can become very addictive, right?” he added of social media. “So I try to limit myself. We limit our kids’ screen time. I try to limit my screen time, too.”
Beyond engaging in heated debates with critics and fellow users, Vance also used the platform to acknowledge some of his viral memes by sharing a photo of himself dressed as “fat JD curly hair” for Halloween.
In a photo shared on X last October, he wore a dramatic wig and stared directly into the camera to resemble the edited photo that was making its rounds at the time.
In another clip, Vance, as “fat JD,” opens a door and says, “Happy Halloween, kids. And remember: Say thank you,” before the clip cuts to footage of him spinning in circles as the Twilight Zone theme song plays.
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