Fact Check: Did JD Vance call Trump 'America's Hitler' in 2016?

WASHINGTON, DC: A years-old claim that Vice President JD Vance once called President Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” resurfaced on social media in September 2025.

The posts circulated shortly after a group of pro-Palestine activists heckled Trump at a Washington, DC, restaurant on September 9, chanting “Trump is the Hitler of our time.” Users on social media quickly began sharing screenshots suggesting Vance had made the same comparison years ago.

Claim: JD Vance once called Trump ‘America’s Hitler’

According to the viral posts, JD Vance allegedly branded Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” long before becoming his vice president.

Screenshots and quotes shared online pointed to a 2016 private message the 41-year-old sent to a former Yale Law School roommate, in which he reportedly compared the MAGA leader to both Richard Nixon and Adolf Hitler.

Posts implied this message revealed hypocrisy or a dramatic shift in Vance’s political loyalties.

Fact Check: Posts on JD Vance’s 'America’s Hitler' remark are accurate

In 2016, JD Vance wrote to his former law school roommate Josh McLaurin, “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon who wouldn't be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he's America's Hitler. How's that for discouraging?”

McLaurin made the text public in 2022, and multiple reputable outlets, including Reuters, BBC, and The Guardian, has corroborated its authenticity over the following years.

Since then, the vice presdient has openly acknowledged his remark. In a July 16, 2024, interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, he confirmed he had been skeptical of Trump in 2016 but said the MAGA leader's time in the White House “changed my mind.”

Vance’s campaign has also characterized the 2016 text as old news, stressing that Trump still endorsed him and trusts his loyalty.

McLaurin, now a Democratic state senator in Georgia, was Vance’s roommate at Yale Law School. He first posted the 2016 text publicly under his former X (formerly Twitter) handle (@JoshforGeorgia) before deactivating the account and later relaunching under @JoshMcLaurinGA.

Vance’s past skepticism of Trump, including the “America’s Hitler” line, has been widely reported since his Senate run in 2022 and again after Trump named him as his running mate in July 2024.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.