California Governor Gavin Newsom used a viral meme to mock Vice President JD Vance’s role in Iran war negotiations. This was a brief shift in his political attacks away from President Donald Trump.
Gavin Newsom roasts JD Vance with a meme
Gavin Newsom’s press office shared a clip of Trump’s recent remarks to reporters in the Oval Office. There, the president confirmed that JD Vance is among several administration figures participating in the negotiations.
The governor’s team paired the footage with a widely recognized meme. It depicts a young man appearing to single-handedly halt a New York City subway train through sheer physical force. “Live look at JD in the Situation Room,” the office wrote in the post.
Donald Trump had listed Vance alongside his son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as key participants in the talks. “JD is involved, and Marco’s involved, and Jared Kushner is involved—very smart guy. And Steve Witkoff, smart guy, is involved, and I’m involved,” Trump said. Newsom’s post did not include additional commentary, allowing the meme to serve as the sole punchline. Vance’s office has not officially responded with a comment on Newsom’s mockery.
Despite Newsom’s public dismissal of Vance’s involvement, reporting from The Guardian suggests he may carry more weight in the Iran negotiations than the meme implies. According to an Iranian diplomatic source who spoke with the outlet, the regime in Tehran actually prefers negotiating with the vice president. In addition, they believe he holds genuine skepticism toward continued military engagement. The same source indicated that trust does not extend to Witkoff and Kushner, as they had led earlier nuclear talks under the previous Trump administration.
“If the negotiations are going to have any outcome, JD Vance should join,” sources told the outlet. “With Witkoff and Kushner, nothing will come out of it. We have seen that in the past.” The comments suggest that within diplomatic channels, Vance’s perceived position on the war may make him a more effective intermediary than his public profile would indicate.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
