Vice President JD Vance has issued a scathing condemnation of his most prominent racist adversary, Nick Fuentes, who has repeatedly targeted Vance's wife and children with vile racial insults. However, in a revealing exclusive interview with the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Vance notably stopped short of denouncing Fuentes' substantial online following, known collectively as 'Groypers'.
A Personal Attack on Family
The Vice President's forceful remarks come directly in response to Fuentes' sustained campaign of harassment against Second Lady Usha Vance, whom the far-right figure has attacked over her Indian heritage. Fuentes, a notorious white nationalist and Holocaust denier with millions of young followers across digital platforms, represents one of the most virulent strains of extremism in contemporary American politics.
'He can eat sh*t because anybody who goes after my family, whatever side they're on, they're on the opposite side of me,' Vance declared with palpable anger when asked specifically about Fuentes. The Vice President added unequivocally, 'Of course I do' condemn him, leaving no ambiguity about his personal disdain for the provocateur.
The Groyper Dilemma
Despite this clear personal condemnation, Vance adopted a more circumspect position when questioned about Fuentes' dedicated supporters. 'What do you mean by supporters?' Vance responded when pressed on whether the 'Groyper' faction should find acceptance within the Republican Party's ranks. He elaborated by stating, 'Well, I don't know what that means. I think people are going to vote for us or not vote for us.'
This strategic avoidance carries significant political weight, as Fuentes previously vowed to sabotage any potential Vance presidential campaign should the Vice President ever denounce the Groyper movement. In a November broadcast, Fuentes threatened to personally deploy to critical swing states during a hypothetical 2028 GOP primary, declaring, 'If Vance condemns the Groypers, we are deploying to Iowa. Raise your right hand. I swear I'm going to move to Iowa and New Hampshire and Nevada and South Carolina and one primary after the next.'
Broader Ideological Stance
While sidestepping the specific issue of Fuentes' followers, Vance did articulate a broader moral framework against hatred and bigotry. 'I think there are certain things that we should have the moral clarity to condemn. I think Jew hatred is disgusting,' he asserted, directly confronting the antisemitic rhetoric that Fuentes has propagated.
The Vice President expanded this principle to encompass all forms of racial prejudice, stating emphatically, 'You shouldn't hate people because they're white. You shouldn't hate people because they're Jewish. You shouldn't hate people because they're black. And I don't like anybody who does that or engages in that stuff.'
Political Context and Precedents
This complex positioning occurs against a backdrop where former President Donald Trump previously dined with Fuentes and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022. Trump has consistently refused to denounce the 27-year-old far-right leader when questioned on multiple occasions, establishing a contrasting approach to the same political dilemma.
Vance ultimately framed his stance as one of principled consistency rather than political calculation. 'So when you say supporters of this or that person, all I can do is say what I believe, take the moral stance and the policy stance that I believe in,' he concluded, drawing a distinction between condemning an individual's actions and passing judgment on their broader following.
The interview reveals the delicate balancing act facing Republican figures as they navigate the persistent influence of extremist elements within their political coalition, even as they seek to maintain clear boundaries against the most overt forms of racism and antisemitism.
