In an astonishing scene inside the Cabinet Room, 79-year-old President Donald Trump seemed to ridicule his own vice president for incompetence during a broadcasted meeting. JD Vance, 41, was seated directly across from Trump as the critique unfolded.
The incident took place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, during a Cabinet session. Trump began a disjointed discussion about Tim Walz and the vice presidential debate that took place in October of 2024. “I think the man’s a grossly incompetent man,” Trump said, initially seeming to refer to Walz before the statement veered off course.
Although Trump’s tangential remarks seemed to many observers to be about Vance, the White House later clarified that the president’s statement of incompetence was aimed at Biden and Walz, who participated in the debate, not his vice president.
The unexpected moment caught national attention as cameras recorded the interaction with Trump’s ongoing erratic commentary. The vice president’s reaction was palpable throughout the awkward moment, with Trump’s words seemingly targeted at the vice president’s performance in the October 2024 debate.
The confusion originated from Trump’s typically complex sentence structure and unclear use of pronouns during the Cabinet meeting. When Trump said, “I was saying, who is more incompetent, that man or my man? I had a man and he had a man; they were both incompetent,” many listeners thought “my man” referred to JD Vance, as Vance was Trump’s running mate in the vice presidential debate Trump was referencing. However, Trump was in fact comparing debate opponents: “my man” referred to Biden (Trump’s own debate opponent in the presidential race), while “he had a man” referred to Walz (Vance’s opponent).
Snopes categorically refuted the prevalent claim, stating: “The quote is correctly attributed, but the claim that Trump called Vance incompetent is not accurate.” Snopes noted that the White House confirmed Trump was referring to his own debate opponents—Biden and Kamala Harris—as incompetent, not Vance.
This interpretation was further supported by Trump’s continuation: “I had a man and a woman. I thought she was very incompetent too,” transparently referring to Harris. Snopes concluded that media outlets and social media accounts likely used “attention-grabbing headlines for clicks and views as opposed to factual reporting,” with some posts acknowledging in their text that “the ‘they were both incompetent’ part could possibly have meant Walz and Biden” despite their misleading headlines claiming Trump called Vance incompetent.
Recently, Vance has adopted a hard-hitting role in defending Trump’s stances, sometimes even surpassing the president himself. At the Munich Security Conference, Vance criticized European leaders on democracy and free speech, delivering remarks that stunned international audiences with their confrontational tone.
The vice president also made news for a fiery confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During an Oval Office meeting that happened on February 28, 2025, Vance called Zelenskyy disrespectful, strongly criticizing the Ukrainian leader’s approach.
Vance’s assertive style extended to the Ukraine discussion, where he stated that Zelenskyy should thank the United States for its support. The vice president’s forceful stance came as Trump threatened to withdraw American backing for Ukraine in its continuing conflict with Russia. The United States has committed between 175 billion and 185 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine.
The October 2024 vice presidential debate that Trump referenced during his Cabinet Room comments had Vance going head-to-head with Walz in a nationally broadcasted showdown. The discussion became a highlight of the campaign, with supporters of both candidates claiming victory for their respective nominees.
In addition to foreign policy confrontations, Vance has received backlash over immigration remarks, particularly against the backdrop of his wife, Usha Vance’s, heritage. The vice president called mass migration a theft of the American Dream on December 7, 2025, leading critics to point out the apparent contradiction with his family circumstances.
The vice president has also ventured into other contentious issues. Vance warned that Trump may take further action on Iran as tensions escalated in the region. His statement came as the administration faced challenges regarding Tehran, Iran, with Vance suggesting potential military options were still being considered.
The Cabinet Room incident has sparked renewed discussions about Trump’s communication style and the unique dynamics within his administration. The president’s remarks about incompetence, delivered in Vance’s presence, marked yet another unconventional moment in an administration typified by unpredictable interactions and public disagreements.
As the administration continues to tackle domestic and international challenges, the relationship between Trump and Vance remains under scrutiny. The vice president’s role as both a defender and occasional target of presidential comments reflects the intricate political environment surrounding the current White House.