US Vice President Vance Defends Trump's Controversial AI Videos Amid Government Shutdown

Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump's posting of AI-generated videos mocking Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, describing the posts as jokes and part of good-natured political banter. The videos depicted Jeffries with stereotypical Mexican imagery, which Jeffries condemned as racist and bigoted, while Trump and Vance insisted that negotiations with Democrats could proceed in good faith despite the trolling. Vance promised that the memes would stop if Democrats helped pass a GOP spending bill to reopen the government, but Democrats rejected the proposals, leading to a government shutdown. The White House displayed the AI videos during press briefings amid ongoing shutdown negotiations, and Vance blamed Democrats for the impasse. Democrats criticized Trump’s conduct as distracting and unhelpful to serious negotiations. The incident highlights the deep partisan tensions and the blending of social media tactics with official political discourse during the 2025 shutdown crisis.