People Are Calling JD Vance "Desperate" And "Small" After He Hurled This Anti-Gay Insult At James Talarico

Vice President JD Vance attempted a Hail Mary pass of sorts for the GOP in the form of homophobia on Tuesday when he used a midterm rally to imply that Texas Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico is gay.

“I love you, too, sir,” Vance began at an event in Tyler, Texas, seemingly in response to a rallygoer, before adding, “In a totally platonic way, to be clear.”

“I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.”

Vance’s comments arrived less than 24 hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Talarico’s opponent, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, partied it up in Dubai with fugitives wanted in the US for alleged healthcare fraud and embezzlement.

Critics on social media bashed the veep on Tuesday, including Reason reporter Billy Binion.

“I remain amazed and mystified that some of the most powerful people in the world think ‘James Talarico seems gay!!’ is a compelling critique. I bet it goes so hard with JD Vance’s 9-year-old. It’s so desperate and small,” Binion wrote on X.

Zeeshan Aleem, a political columnist/editor for MS NOW, also took on Vance, writing, “VP says ‘no homo’ and calls a candidate gay as a joke. We’re in high school, maybe middle school.”

“...The Vice President of the United States... in 2026... Trying to insult a Senate candidate...by implying he is gay,” wrote professor and policy consultant Adam Cochran of the clip.

“How terribly far we have fallen as a nation.”

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.