JD Vance wins Halloween with viral meme costume

Vice President J.D. Vance pulled off Washington’s most clever Halloween costume — dressing as the meme version of him that has been all over the Internet for months.

Vance uploaded a photo of himself on X Friday, showing him with a brown curly wig, a suit and a red tie, recreating his exaggerated look as “meme Vance”, which has been a social media sensation. In just a few hours, the photo had more than 700,000.

JD Vance’s “meme” started in the year 2024, after photos heavily altered of him went viral. Some of them inflated his cheeks and eyes while others gave him a tangle of curly hair. The pictures, originally shared to ridicule him by his critics, soon escaped the political circles to become a joke on both sides of the internet. The meme was used by supporters as a joke, transforming it into an artistic version of Vice President Biden’s face.

In time, “meme Vance” became a fixture in the digital world, appearing on endless remixes and TikTok editings. He also appeared as a parody account. What began as a joke has evolved into an absurd part of the modern political landscape. Vance’s decision to dress up as the curly haired meme was not just a Halloween costume. He also reclaimed the joke.

pic.twitter.com/TQT7JkRCa8

JD Vance 30 October 2025 HTML0

It all started with one photo, which was lightly altered. Then it spread to thousands of versions on social media. The trend was embraced by both supporters and critics: on the left, the photos were used to mock Vance’s populist persona and sometimes the right would flip the script and turn him into a hypermasculine “GigaChad” icon.

The Washington Post and The New Yorker were among the major outlets that chronicled the bizarre and widespread spread of this year’s political memes. The meme was not just funny, it also captured a deeper meaning about politics today — the way internet culture transforms public figures into symbols of battlegrounds.

The joke that began as an innocent joke has evolved into a bizarre commentary on masculinity, fame and the way politics is played out in this age of viral absurdity.

REACTIONS: