Politico trolled for featuring JD Vance in Lord of the Rings-themed cover for article on his politics

WASHINGTON, DC: GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance, as the first millennial on a major party ticket in the United States, geeks out over JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (LOTR) trilogy, reported Politico on Friday, July 19.

The publication called 39-year-old Vance's obsession with the trilogy his "most millenia trait," as it became an integral part of pop culture during the time he was in high school, as a result of the movies directed by Peter Jackson.

How does JD Vance relate to 'Lord of the Rings'?

Back in 2021, Rep Jim Banks (R-Indiana) had asked Vance to name his favorite author during a podcast. In response, the now-Senator from Ohio shared, "I would have to say, Tolkien. I’m a big Lord of the Rings guy, and I think, not realizing it at the time, but a lot of my conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien growing up.”

He also spoke of Tolkien's close friend and contemporary author, CS Lewis, who created the Narnia series.

"Big fan of CS Lewis — really sort of like that era of English writers," mentioned Vance. "I think they were really interesting. They were grappling, in part because of World War II, with just very big problems.”

The influence of LOTR in the conservative politician's life is evident in multiple cases. The venture capital firm he founded in 2019 is named Narya, after one of those rings worn by the wizard Gandalf in the book. Vance also invested in a defense startup Anduril, named after Aragorn's sword.

According to John Shelton, policy director for Advancing American Freedom, founded by Mike Pence, "By the time of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Narya has been entrusted to Gandalf to resist the corrupting influence of evil, preserve the world from decay, and give strength to its wielder. Gandalf, unlike the other great powers in Lord of the Rings, cared for the hobbits and other lowly people of Middle-Earth, and so it is unsurprising that Vance would see himself as a kind of Gandalf, caring for the forgotten people of his hometown, keeping a watchful eye on them against the corrupting effects of the world.”

Internet takes on Politico article about JD Vance

The article was shared by the publication on the social media platform X with the caption, "If you really want to understand J.D. Vance’s politics, you’ll need to crack open a little-known work called The Lord of the Rings." It was accompanied by an image of Vance dressed up as a wizard.

The cover was widely trolled by netizens online, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"Which of your editors thought this would be an own against JD? Cause that one needs to get the lay off treatment," wrote a person.

"You're trolling us, right?" inquired another.

"Saruman wasn't supposed to be a role model," stated a third slamming Vance.

"It is hard to be this ridiculous. Did they use AI to generate the picture?" chided a fourth.

"He thinks he’s Gandalf but he’s really Gollum," quipped a fifth.

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.