Internet split as JD Vance might become first vice president sporting facial hair in nearly 100 years

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: If former president Donald Trump is elected to the White House for a second term in November, his vice-presidential pick could be the first to wear facial hair in almost a century, according to the New York Post.

Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), who was announced as the ex-president's running mate at the Republican National Convention on Monday, July 15, is one of the rare modern-day politicians who doesn't prefer the clean-shaven look.

When Vance first gained public attention with his bestselling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ in 2016, he conformed to the usual expectations and sported the baby-faced look.

However, his beard was on full display when he was elected to the Senate in 2022, making him one of the few politicians on Capitol Hill rocking facial hair.

Who was the last vice president to sport facial hair?

Facial hair fell out of favor among US politicians in the middle of the 20th century.

Charles Curtis was the last vice president with a mustache, serving in 1933 under president Herbert Hoover.

The last vice president to have a substantial beard like Vance was Charles Fairbanks, President Theodore Roosevelt's second-in-command from 1905 to 1909.

There were speculations that Vance's unusual beard might have cost him the opportunity to be Trump's vice presidential pick, as some GOP campaign insiders claimed that the 2024 Republican presidential nominee "just doesn't like facial hair."

However, former President Trump denied these rumors last week, telling Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade that the beard was trendy for his running mate.

"He looks good," the 78-year-old MAGA figurehead remarked. "Looks like a young Abraham Lincoln."

Some studies suggest that voters consider facial hair to be associated with personality traits that politicians may want to avoid: aggressive, traditional, and anti-feminist.

According to a 2015 survey conducted by Oklahoma State University, voters perceive men with beards and mustaches as being against reproductive choice and "more supportive of gun rights, military spending, and the deployment of force" — all traits that seem to align with Sen Vance.

Internet split as JD Vance might become first VP to sport facial hair in nearly 100 years

People online shared their thoughts and opinions surrounding the 2024 Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), who could be the first vice president sporting a full beard in nearly a century.

One X user remarked, "Paving the way for bearded men everywhere!"

Another user said, "I guess you could call that facial hair...."

Another user wrote, "Very masculine."

One user claimed, "I hate people with beards."

"Grew a beard to tickle that orange t**d’s g**ch," another X user quipped. 

Someone else tweeted, "Doesn’t matter one way or the other."

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.