JD Vance on Monday tried to cast President Donald Trump as a man of faith while promoting his new book on Catholicism — and critics aren’t buying it.
The veep, in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, responded to the host, arguing that his “spiritual side” differs from Trump “in many ways” even as they’ve maintained a “phenomenal” relationship.
“You even attacked him in 2020,” added Hannity, an aside that sparked chuckles from Vance, who once likened his now-boss to “America’s Hitler.”
“Well, in 2016,” replied Vance before continuing. “But what is interesting about President Trump is — he doesn’t wear it on his sleeve, but he is a person of faith. And he does, like all of us, think about these very deep questions: where did we come from? Where are we going?”
The vice president went on, “And you know, fundamentally, I think the president — he recognizes that some of the people who have been best to him, who have been critical parts of him getting to the presidency now two times and arguably three times, they were Christians.”
The comments arrive as Vance tried to sell Fox News viewers on his new book detailing his “personal journey” back to Catholicism, a book that embarrassingly features a United Methodist church on its cover.
Trump, who has described himself as a “non-denominational Christian” since 2020, has been criticized over the years for using religion to promote himself and those in his universe.
Trump, who once claimed the Bible was his favorite book, fumbled a simple question on the good book in a 2015 interview and, in the midst of his 2024 campaign, hawked “God Bless the USA” editions of the holy text.
In recent months, he shared an AI-generated image on social media depicting himself as a Christ-like healing figure and another showing him dressed as the pontiff.
And amid his feud with Pope Leo XIV, the president promoted a claim that he has a “better understanding” of the Bible than the pontiff.
Social media users on X mocked Vance’s comments about the president, including radio host and ex-Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who declared that it was “utter fucking bullshit” coming from the veep.
Another user on the platform wrote that it was “the most ridiculous lie he has ever told, which is saying a lot.”
