Vice President JD Vance attempted to mock a Democratic senator and veteran after she pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio over whether the U.S. is at war with Venezuela.
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rubio insisted the U.S. isn’t at war with the South American nation, which prompted Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) to ask him if he would advise the president “to rescind his invocation of the wartime Alien Enemies Act?”
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“Of course not,” Rubio responded. “When it comes to narco-trafficking gangs and criminal gangs, there’s no doubt about the fact that we’re confronting them in a war-like setting.”
The heated exchange apparently caught Vance’s eyes, and he saw a chance to troll Duckworth — a Purple Heart recipient and former Army helicopter pilot who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm during the Iraq War in 2004 — by comparing her to (checks notes) Forrest Gump.
Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.
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Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 28, 2026
Vance might have thought he scored points with that post, but Duckworth countered with a strong, sharp retort that favorably compared the actions of Tom Hanks’ iconic film character with those of the president himself.
“Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs,” she pointed out, before adding that “petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won’t change the fact that you’re risking troops’ lives to boost Chevron’s stock price.”
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She added that her job as a senator is to “hold you accountable.”
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 28, 2026
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Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs.
Petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won’t change the fact that you’re risking troops’ lives to boost Chevron’s stock price.
It’s my job to hold you accountable. https://t.co/KTVMtUPLBe
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 28, 2026
Many people enjoyed Duckworth’s brutal riposte, which had the welcome side effect of keeping the vice president off of social media, if only for a few hours.
Vance never did engage with Duckworth’s skillful verbal parry, instead responding to the original post with unabashed words of biblical praise for Rubio.
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“Thank God we have a Secretary of State who knows his facts AND has the patience of Job. Great job, @SecRubio,” he posted.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 28, 2026
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Thank God we have a Secretary of State who knows his facts AND has the patience of Job. Great job, @SecRubio.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 28, 2026
