J.D. Vance joked that he felt like the forgotten kid from “Home Alone” after being left behind during Donald Trump’s trip to China. Trump traveled to Beijing this week with a large political and business delegation, while Vance stayed back in Washington.
The vice president commented while speaking about how empty the White House feels whenever Trump travels overseas.
J.D. Vance likens himself to Macauley Culkin’s character in Home Alone while Trump is gone
While discussing Donald Trump’s overseas visit, J.D. Vance compared himself to Macaulay Culkin’s famous movie character Kevin McCallister. “I don’t travel outside the country with the president,” Vance explained, according to Radar Online. He then joked, “On days like today, I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. I walk into the White House, and it’s very quiet, and no one’s there, and it takes me a second to realize exactly what’s going on!”
Trump’s China delegation reportedly included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump’s son Eric Trump, and Lara Trump, along with executives like Elon Musk and Tim Cook. Melania Trump was also absent from the trip.
Vance’s omission quickly sparked speculation online because of his past comments about China. During the 2024 campaign season, he called China America’s biggest threat. According to the BBC, he also previously faced backlash after saying the United States “borrows money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”
The timing also comes as rumors continue swirling about tension between Vance and Rubio over the Republican Party’s future. Trump recently added to that conversation when he joked, “Who likes J.D. Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio? All right. Sounds like a good ticket.”
He later went on to describe the pair as a possible “dream team.” This further fueled online debate about who could eventually emerge as the leading face of the party after his presidency.
