JD Vance dubbed a ‘hypocrite’ after college drag photos surface

Photographs depicting U.S. Senator JD Vance, purportedly adorned in drag, have resurfaced, igniting widespread censure and charges of hypocrisy.

These images, reportedly captured during his tenure at Yale Law School in 2012 when Vance was 28 years old, exhibit him clad in a blonde wig, shirt, and skirt.

The controversy erupted when a user on X (formerly known as Twitter), Matt Bernstein, shared one of the photos, captioning it: “new: i have obtained a photo of jd vance in drag while at yale law school.”

Credit: Andrew Harnik / Getty.

The origin of the photograph was subsequently identified as Travis Whitfill, an assistant professor at Yale. Whitfill confirmed his involvement, stating: “Hi Matt, I was the source of the photo (sent through friends to you). This was taken in 2012 (the same time I was at Yale 🥴). Photo was taken by a classmate and sent to me. Thanks for sharing 😘.”

In a dialogue with the Daily Beast, Whitfill expounded that the image was derived from a group chat among Vance’s classmates, likely stemming from Facebook. It was taken at a Halloween gathering..

A few days following the initial post, Bernstein unveiled a second image, with the caption: “a second photo has hit my inbox.”

As these images circulated, they rapidly became the subject of online ridicule. One user jested, “Feelin’ cute. Might run for Vice President later,” while another quipped, “What better way to get on Trump’s good side than by trying to look like his Ivanka….”

Despite the widespread circulation of the photos and the subsequent jesting, some individuals came to Vance’s defense, arguing that the images were being misconstrued.

One user remarked: “People consider putting on a wig at a college party as drag? That’s an insult to my drag friends at the balls and in the Houses.”

Another added: “I can’t tell which possibility is worse: you all not being able to distinguish a party costume from actual drag because you think it’s totally normal for men to dress like women OR you all knowing it’s a costume and being absurdly intellectually dishonest about it.”

A notable defense emerged from George Santos, who faced similar scrutiny in 2023 when photos of him in drag surfaced. Santos dismissed the accusations against Vance, asserting it “definitely” wasn’t drag.

Watch Below:

Source: Youtube/TMZ

“The guy went to a costume party, put on a freaking cheap wig from Party City or something similar,” Santos commented. “To call that drag is disingenuous, and I think most dudes at some point in their lives have played around with costumes that are gender-bender.”

However, critics of Vance were swift to clarify that their issue wasn’t with the act of dressing in drag itself, but with the senator’s perceived hypocrisy. “Don’t call JD Vance weird because he wore drag. Call him a hypocrite and a bigot for demonizing others who wear drag,” one user posted on X.

Another echoed this sentiment, tweeting: “I don’t share this to shame those who do drag, but rather to shame those who attack drag while having a history of enjoying the art form themselves.”

What are your thoughts on these resurfaced photos? Share your perspective with us!