Vice President JD Vance set off a wave of criticism after a midterm campaign rally in Tyler, Texas, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he answered a supporter’s shout of affection with a line implying that Texas Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico is gay.
Appearing to respond to a rallygoer, Vance said, “I love you, too, sir,” before adding, “In a totally platonic way, to be clear.” He continued, “I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.”
Journalist Aaron Rupar posted a clip of the moment on X on Oct. 13. The construction — affection first, disclaimer second — follows the pattern of the anti-gay expression “no homo,” which was popularized in the ’90s and ’00s.
Critics Weigh in Online
The response arrived quickly, and it came from writers across the political spectrum. “I remain amazed and mystified that some of the most powerful people in the world think ‘James Talarico seems gay!!’ is a compelling critique,” Reason reporter Billy Binion wrote on X, calling the attack desperate and small.
MS NOW political columnist and editor Zeeshan Aleem placed the exchange somewhere between high school and middle school. “Jeopardy!” champion Hemant Mehta responded by pointing out that Talarico is straight and has a girlfriend. Professor and policy consultant Adam Cochran, reacting to the clip, wrote: “How terribly far we have fallen as a nation.” Other critics described the remark as beyond disgusting coming from a sitting U.S. vice president.
The Report Vance Didn’t Mention
The timing drew its own attention. Less than 24 hours before the Tyler rally, The Wall Street Journal reported that Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, partied in Dubai with fugitives wanted in the U.S. for alleged healthcare fraud and embezzlement. Vance did not bring up the report during his remarks in Tyler.
Paxton won the Republican nomination in May, defeating incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the primary. In his victory speech, Paxton criticized Talarico for naming transgender children when asked what he loves outside of his family and friends.
Months of Attacks on Talarico
Tuesday’s line was not a one-off. Vance has repeatedly leaned on anti-LGBTQ attacks against Talarico, most of them casting the Democrat as a “freak” for supporting transgender children and drag performers, and he has used the nickname “Talafreako.” Vance himself has done drag.
At an earlier Texas rally for Paxton, Vance wondered aloud what drives a man who spends so much time talking about 11-year-old drag queens, and argued that a man who uses religion as a cover will never fight for voters’ values. He also told the crowd that Talarico’s focus on children and drag means he will never care about jobs. That swipe at Talarico’s faith came from a vice president who has put out a book this year about becoming Catholic, all while chatter about a 2028 White House run keeps humming along.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has faced months of Republican questioning of his sexuality and masculinity. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shared a doctored image earlier in 2026 depicting Talarico as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The right-wing group Citizens for Sanity produced a deepfake video showing the Democrat in a dress, singing about “boys in white dresses” to the tune of “My Favorite Things.”
The attacks have continued even as Talarico has stepped back from earlier remarks he described as “cringey,” including a statement that God is nonbinary. He has said he would oppose transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports “if it endangers safety or fairness,” a position he took after telling a podcast that he opposed gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
The broader framing is familiar from the last national campaign, when a 2024 Trump campaign ad declared, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” Two years later, the Texas Senate race is testing whether that approach still lands. For now, the numbers are not moving Paxton’s way: he is trailing Talarico in a growing list of polls.