JD Vance‘s latest attempt at humor didn’t seem to land well with netizens, despite his efforts to be lighthearted. However, it appears that the vice president himself has now become the target of jokes on the Internet.
At an event hosted by the International Association of Fire Fighters during the Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 9, one of Vance’s attempted jokes failed to impress both the live audience and the netizens.
The event brought together hundreds of firefighters from across the U.S., who talked about policies, safety issues and government support for fire departments. Vance attended the event to show support for firefighters on behalf of the Trump administration.
“There is no group of people that is harder working and more important for our communities than our firefighters,” Vance said during the conference. Before delivering the serious bit of his speech, Vance tried to begin proceedings with a joke.
JD Vance attempts to make a joke:
“I can’t see any of you because these spotlights are glaring bright. The person who runs these spotlights must be a Democrat because I cannot see a single person in that crowd.” pic.twitter.com/kBkVy6gUwM
— FactPost (@factpostnews) March 9, 2026
However, people didn’t seem too impressed with his attempted humor, and the video of this moment went viral quickly.
He began by saying, “It’s great to be here. It’s great to have you in our nation’s capital, everybody. This is a very big group.” Vance then looked around for a moment and quipped, “I can’t see any of you because these spotlights are glaring bright,” adding, “The person who runs these spotlights must be a Democrat because I cannot see a single person in that crowd. But I’m told there’s about 700 of you out there.”
Only a few people in the room laughed, and the rest just chuckled. An awkward silence prevailed. After the speech, the video spread online, and social media users expressed their opinions regarding the same. It appeared that most weren’t impressed with Vance‘s comment.
One X user wrote, “AND THE CROWD GOES MILD.” Another opined, “He is so awkward.” One questioned, “So exactly what is the joke supposed to be?” A user stated, “Why does he think he is funny?? His ‘jokes’ always fail!”
The spotlights were trying to spot a good joke, this is all that was found apparently
— Thomas Huffman (@itistommy25) March 9, 2026
Some social media users even mocked the vice president, saying, “The spotlights were trying to spot a good joke, this is all that was found apparently.” One noted, “Why does he keep trying to tell jokes? They flop every time & are typically inappropriate!”
This, however, isn’t the first time the vice president has faced criticism for his humor. Vance once made a joke at a public meeting where he tried to enact a moment involving Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
JD Vance takes the mic and immediately attempts to tell a joke. He doesn’t get a single laugh. Not. Even. One. pic.twitter.com/SmqLpxb8aC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026
At the meeting, Vance paused for 20 seconds while answering a question in an attempt to imitate Ocasio-Cortez, who had previously paused similarly before responding to a question about Taiwan.
That joke didn’t manage to receive much laughter either. Ocasio-Cortez took to social media, mocking Vance’s attempt to make fun of her. She wrote, “The only thing longer than my pause to think was their silence to his joke.”
For now, the vice president’s latest clip from the Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference continues to circulate online. While his speech was meant to highlight the hard work of firefighters, it seems that his sense of humor is what’s getting the most attention on social media.
