Read, Watch or Listen

Leaning into Halloween, Vice President JD Vance donned a wig and parodied the “babyface Vance” meme in a TikTok, saying, “Happy Halloween… say thank you,” over The Twilight Zone theme. Online reactions followed: the Democrats’ X account mocked him, he rejected a costume prompt from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna with another meme, and Gov. Gavin Newsom and editor Ron Filipkowski responded critically. The meme, popular since last October, trailed him on a U.K. trip, figured in a Norwegian tourist’s alleged U.S. entry denial, and evolved after a March meeting where Vance pressed Volodymyr Zelensky to say “thank you.”

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.