In a performance that echoed his boss's most combative moments, US Vice President JD Vance unleashed a furious tirade against the media during a White House press briefing on Thursday. The 41-year-old former senator used the platform to vehemently defend an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, while accusing journalists of being "agents of propaganda".
A Verbal Machinegun Aimed at the Press Corps
Dressed in a signature Trump-style uniform of a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, Vance seized the administration's response to Wednesday's controversial incident. Renee Good, a poet and mother, was shot dead by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, an event that has sparked significant public outcry. Vance, however, presented a starkly different narrative, insisting Good had attempted to ram the officer with her car and criticising media coverage as "an absolute disgrace".
"This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people," Vance fulminated to a packed briefing room. He singled out a CNN headline reading "Outrage after ICE officer kills US citizen in Minneapolis" as emblematic of what he termed misleading "corporate media" reporting. His language deliberately contrasted mainstream outlets with what he framed as the nation's more trustworthy bloggers and influencers.
Unsubstantiated Claims and a "Broader Network"
Vance's rhetoric escalated as he made a series of claims without presenting evidence. He asserted that Good was part of a "broader leftwing network" employing "domestic terror techniques" to obstruct the enforcement of immigration laws. When pressed by a reporter to identify who was behind this alleged network, Vance admitted, "Well, it's one of the things we're going to have to figure out," before doubling down on his accusation that some media were participating in it.
"Everybody who's been repeating the lie that this is some innocent woman who was out for a drive in Minneapolis when a law enforcement officer shot at her: you should be ashamed of yourselves, every single one of you," he snarled at the assembled journalists. His comments came despite video evidence suggesting Good was driving away from the scene and the absence of any proof linking her to terrorism. The ongoing nature of the investigation did not temper his remarks.
An Audition for 2028 and a Darker Version of Trump
Political observers viewed the briefing as a clear pitch for influence, coming just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a potential rival for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination—garnered significant attention for the US operation in Venezuela. Vance, absent from that spotlight, used the White House podium to stage a dramatic comeback.
His performance was the most ferocious public lambasting of the press since the early days of the Trump administration, drawing comparisons to former press secretary Sean Spicer's infamous crowd-size briefing. Current press secretary Karoline Leavitt watched approvingly from the sidelines as Vance demonstrated a knack for slick, audacious propaganda.
The vice-president's stance aligned closely with that of the president, who had already posted on social media claiming Good was "very disorderly" and had "violently, willfully, and viciously" tried to run over the ICE officer. This approach marks a continuation of the administration's hardline posture, reminiscent of its response to the 2020 George Floyd protests in the same city of Minneapolis.
As he concluded, Vance issued a final warning to the media: "It's really irresponsible for you guys to go out there and imply or tell the American people that a guy who defended himself from being rammed by an automobile is guilty of murder." The briefing served as a potent demonstration of a younger, more polished, but equally menacing political style, leaving allies pleased and critics deeply alarmed about the future of political discourse.
