JD Vance reposts sombrero meme mocking Democrats’ Jan 6 candlelight vigil

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance stirred controversy again this weekend.

He posted a meme on X poking fun at a recent candlelight vigil Democrats held for the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The image showed a sombrero placed onto photos from the vigil featuring House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, as they held candles on the steps of the US Capitol. 

JD Vance posts sombrero meme mocking January 6 vigil

Vance shared the image from his verified X account without commentary, showing Democratic leaders, including Schumer and Jeffries, prominently featured from a video clip below. 

The original video clip was posted by the "End Wokeness" X account, which had the caption: "BREAKING: Congressional Dems just held a candlelit vigil to honor the January 6 anniversary."

At the vigil, Schumer and Jeffries spoke about why everyone had gathered: to remember what happened on January 6, 2021, when people stormed the US Capitol. They discussed honoring the law enforcement officers and others who lost their lives as a result of that day.

Variations of the sombrero meme targeting Jeffries have circulated online since the federal government shutdown last year, amid criticism of Democratic leadership. The imagery has since periodically reemerged in online political satire.

Leaders remember Jan 6 events 

“We are here today because we must never forget what happened on Jan 6 five years ago,” Chuck Schumer said, adding that future generations should remember it. “The day democracy was placed at greater risk than it has been in a century, and more than a century.” 

Schumer recalled being evacuated during the breach, saying he and others were “within 20 feet of those rioters of those insurrectionists” as they were moved to safety. “On Jan 6, our Capitol Police officers were heroes. Our DC police were heroes,” Schumer said.

Hakeem Jeffries called Jan 6 a “violent insurrection incited by Donald Trump to overturn the results of a free and fair election” and praised law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol. 

Jeffries asked everyone to pause and remember the people who lost their lives on January 6, 2021. After the moment of silence, the group sang “God Bless America,” with Schumer’s voice standing out above the rest.

Vance did not mention the victims or anything said at the vigil. Instead, he shared the edited image without comment. Democratic leaders have previously faced criticism from conservatives, who have described their actions during tense national moments as performative.

In 2020, lawmakers such as then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made headlines for kneeling in the Capitol while wearing Ghanaian Kente cloth stoles after George Floyd’s death. Supporters viewed it as a powerful statement, while critics dismissed it as political theater.

The vigil marked five years since the January 6 riots, when a mob stormed the nation’s Capitol. Those offenders have since been pardoned by the Trump administration.