Vance rips conservative critic over affordability in apparent fat joke

Marc Thiessen, a prominent conservative commentator and proponent of the Iran war, sparked the exchange by belittling an account of a college student frustrated with the cost of food, which was shared by TPUSA official Andrew Kolvet.

Published: August 5, 2026 12:34pm

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday took a shot at one of his conservative critics with an apparent fat joke after the commentator seemed to dismiss affordability concerns.

Marc Thiessen, a prominent conservative commentator and proponent of the Iran war, sparked the exchange by belittling an account of a college student frustrated with the cost of food, which was shared by TPUSA official Andrew Kolvet.

"Cry me a river. The burritos in the college cafeteria are included in your meal plan," Thiessen posted, referencing Kolvet's account of a student incredulous at the $20 price of burritos.

Vance quote-tweeted Thiessen, saying "I'm surprised to hear Mark say this. If you've ever met him in person, it's quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito."

The apparent fat joke comes as Thiessen has become a prominent critic of Vance and his advocacy for a swift end to the Iran war.

The jab is also somewhat ironic in light of a viral meme depicting Vance as comically overweight. The vice president has lost a considerable amount of weight since taking office, however.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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