Vice President JD Vance is facing intense scrutiny over his political authenticity after a former personal assistant claimed his current hard-right identity is 'completely fabricated in every way'.
The whistleblower, who reportedly worked closely with Vance between 2016 and 2017, alleged that the man now positioned as a standard-bearer for conservative cultural values once held deeply sympathetic views toward LGBTQ+ rights.
These explosive claims on X by ex-aide suggest that Vance's public evolution—from a 'Never Trump' intellectual to a firebrand who labels opponents 'groomers'—may be a calculated exercise in political reinvention designed to secure his status as the frontrunner for the 2028 US Presidential Election.
My friend was J.D. Vance’s personal assistant in 2016-2017 era. We texted about Vance in late 2021 & he said Vance’s entire persona now is completely fabricated in every way. Vance was pro-gay/trans rights back then, as an example.
— Spiro’s Ghost (@AntiToxicPeople) January 8, 2026
He called Vance a “soulless, moralless husk.”…
Reactions to Claims About Vance's Political Stance
Across X, social media users, especially Americans, suggested 'It's likely his whole persona then was completely fabricated as well'.
The comment suggests that, in the poster's view, Vance's earlier public identity may have been changed to appeal more to the public, seeing that conservative ideologies were rising back then. One comment summed it up, 'politics is all about reinvention'.
But while others sympathised with Vance for being 'forced' to support conservative ideas, several users said it's his 'core' issue, not politics. 'That actually makes him worse. That he is willing to do what he believes is morally wrong just to cling to power'.
Meanwhile, some point to the same thing happening among MAGA supporters, saying, 'It's too bad that the people that support them are the exact people to be fooled by this... It's depressing that the world is being ruined by such fools'.
JD Vance's Previous vs Current Social Views
JD Vance's public views on social issues have changed noticeably over the years.
In his earlier life, including around the time Hillbilly Elegy was published, he showed more personal acceptance of LGBTQ people in private interactions. For example, he once wrote in his memoir that as a boy he 'convinced myself that I was gay' and remembered his grandmother reassuring him regardless of his feelings, a moment that some friends said reflected empathy for the people in the community.
However, since entering high‑level politics, Vance's public positions have shifted sharply to the right on LGBTQ+ and cultural issues. He now opposes federal protections for same‑sex marriage and has backed laws that restrict transgender rights, including federal criminal penalties for gender‑affirming care for minors and blocking gender‑neutral passport markers.
He also uses language such as 'groomers' to describe opponents of anti‑LGBTQ measures, a term frequently criticised as harmful by advocacy groups.
Vance Was Surprisingly Anti-Trump
Political analysts say this change has come as he aligned with US President Donald Trump and mainstream Republican positions.
But before he became Trump's running mate, Vance was publicly and privately critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. In interviews that year, he described himself as a 'Never Trump guy' who 'couldn't stomach' the then‑candidate-now-President and wrote an op‑ed saying Trump was 'unfit for our nation's highest office'.
In a private message to a college roommate, Vance said he went 'back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon... or that he's America's Hitler'. That message was made public later and widely reported. Vance has since acknowledged it, saying his view changed after Trump's first-term presidency.
By 2024, however, Vance had become one of Trump's mouthpieces. He even described Trump as someone who had 'earned the trust of the movement he leads', saying "'I'm proud to stand beside him'.
What is clear is that the allegation has reopened questions about authenticity at the highest levels of power. As Vance positions himself as a potential future presidential contender, the tension between his past and present may continue to shadow his public life.
