JD Vance shares meme of Democrats at Jan 6 candlelight vigil outside US Capitol
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Vice President J.D. Vance shared a photo of congressional Democrats attending Tuesday’s candlelight vigil marking the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6 and reposted content adding a sombrero to images of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) holding candles on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Vance published this photo on his own account verified X account Prominently showing Democratic leaders, including Schumer and Jeffries, from the video clip below, without comment.
The original video clip was released by “End Wokeness”. x accountits headline read: “BREAKING NEWS: Congressional Democrats just held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 6th anniversary of January 5.”
The vigil itself included statements from Schumer and Jeffries, who described the ceremony as an effort to remember the events of Jan. 6, 2021, the breach of the U.S. Capitol, and to honor law enforcement officers and others who died in connection with the riot.
THE WHITE HOUSE CORNERED THE DEMOCRATS’ ‘GAS LIGHTING’ ALLEGATIONS ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF REMOVEMENT ON JANUARY 6.
Congressional Democrats hosted a Jan. 6 candlelight vigil on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. (Swimming pool)
“We are here today because we must never forget what happened five years ago on January 6.” Schumer said, adding that future generations should remember this. “The day democracy is at greater risk than it has been in a century and more than a century.”
Recalling that he was evacuated during the breach, Schumer said he and others were “20 feet away from the rioters” as they were moved to safety.
“On January 6, our Capitol Police officers were heroes. Our D.C. police were heroes,” Schumer said. “…We will ensure that your sacrifices that day will never be forgotten, and we will never forget the lives of those we lost in the attack.”
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.
“We owe these heroes an endless debt of gratitude and will never forget their service and sacrifice,” Jeffries said.
JD VANCE REPLIES TO HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ CLAIM THAT SOMBRERO MEME IS ‘RACIST’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and other members of Congress kneel as they gather for a moment of silence to honor George Floyd and the victims of racial injustice in Freedom Hall at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on Monday, June 8, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Jeffries then asked attendees to observe a moment of silence “to remember those who lost their lives as a result of the tragic and terrible events of January 6, 2021.”
After the moment of silence, participants sang “God Bless America” in Schumer’s voice.
Vance did not reference the victims or the guards’ statements in his post, instead sharing the altered image without comment.
Some social media users who supported the post framed it not as an attack on the victims of January 6, but as a criticism of what they called political theater.
“These people and their theatrical antics are so embarrassing,” one user wrote in response to the post. “I would laugh at them more if it weren’t for the real authoritarian danger lurking in plain sight.”
Another commenter criticized the Democratic leadership for focusing on symbolic gestures rather than governance, writing: “I wish they would make the same effort for their own states and cities.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DY, speak in the House Chamber on January 6, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
Democratic leaders have previously faced criticism from conservative commentators for what they described as executive demonstrations at moments of national tension.
In 2020, multiple lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that George Floyd knelt while wearing traditional Ghanaian Kente cloth shawls during Capitol events following his death; Actions that were praised by their supporters and criticized by their opponents as political theatre.
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Variants of the sombrero meme targeting Jeffries have been circulating online since the federal government shutdown last year amid criticism of Democratic leadership. The footage has since periodically resurfaced in online political satire.
Vance’s, Schumer’s and Jeffries’ offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
