On Friday, July 17, the Wall Street Journal published a biting opinion column by conservative Kimberley A. Strassel — who took Vice President JD Vance to task for promoting a new book, "Communion," during an especially hectic time for the GOP and the Trump White House. Strassel's column, headlined "JD Vance Goes Awol," is still drawing angry criticism from Vance's allies in the Trump administration and the MAGA movement.
Strassel argued, "Congress is crying out for a dedicated White House ambassador — someone who can be trusted to speak for the president, to yea or nay ideas, to shuttle proposals, to wrangle rebels in line. Mr. Vance is promoting a book."
It didn't take Vance's defenders long to start attacking Strassel on X, formerly Twitter — and the angry comments are still coming in.
MAGA podcaster Katie Miller, Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller's wife, tweeted, "The Legacy Media and the Left loved to jump up and down about parental leave. Except in this case."
Journalist Sean Davis posted, "I'm sorry, but pulling this obvious little stunt against JD Vance, whose wife just gave birth, when Mitch McConnell hasn't been seen in weeks is absolutely absurd. What are we even doing here[?]"
Conservative influencer John Konrad also pointed out that Vance's wife, Usha Vance, gave birth to their fourth child.
Referencing former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's paternal leave, Konrad wrote, "Wait, hold the phone, the media is giving (Vance) hell for attending the birth of his child after praising (Pete Buttigieg) for disappearing for months to adopt a child? Am I the only person getting whiplash from all the reversals?"
A White House spokesperson for Vance criticized Strassel's column as well, claiming, "This is factually inaccurate. Vice President Vance has been to the Capitol over two dozen times over the course of his tenure as Vice President, including as recently as Wednesday, which the Wall Street Journal and this rag outlet fail to acknowledge in order to fulfill their b–– narrative."
But Strassel is calling out the MAGA criticism of her column as disingenuous.
In a Monday morning post on X, the conservative Wall Street Journalist columnist — refencing vodcast host Joe Rogan and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's recent illness — wrote, "Nice try. When Vance chose to blow off the GOP to go on Rogan — and when this was written — his wife was still expecting. And as problematic as McConnell’s absence is, there is a gulf between having to be admitted to the hospital for a health issue, and choosing to fly to Texas for a taping."