CNN Panel Swoons Over J.D. Vance's 'Impressive' 'Glow Up'

CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro praised Vice President J.D. Vance's physical appearance on-air, calling his "glow-up" "pretty impressive."

During a broadcast of CNN's The Arena on Saturday, June 20, the panel discussed Vance’s high-profile media blitz, which included a contentious interview on The View.

While evaluating his public relations strategy, Garcia-Navarro noted his change in physical appearance as he promotes his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.

"Can I just say, as an aside, the glow-up of J.D. Vance for this is pretty impressive — the tan, the trimness, the sharp suits. I want to note, you know, he is presenting himself in a very glowed-up fashion," Garcia-Navarro said.

Garcia-Navarro, who has personally interviewed Vance in the past, added the VP is an "able communicator" who handles high-pressure television appearances well.

Republican and former New Hampshire Rep. Patrick McHenry felt the vice president displayed stamina during a week of high-profile media appearances.

"Also, like a beast of a week. I mean, he's performed really well with tough interviews over and over and over again. I mean, just to watch that piece of it is an amazing piece of endurance," he shared.

Former Kamala Harris communications director Jamal Simmons gave Vance credit for stepping into a tough room by appearing on The View.

"I give him credit for going on The View," Simmons said. "This is foreign territory for him. And I don’t know that I would have advised that of most leaders, to go into what’s probably going to be a hostile environment."

The praise was not unanimous on the network, as The Dispatch editor-in-chief and fellow panelist Jonah Goldberg pushed back on the positive commentary.

Goldberg argued that while Vance is a skilled debater, he often relies on false premises and misleading facts to win his on-air battles.

"I'm going to dissent from all of you guys, from this J.D. Vance admiration society," Goldberg quipped. "That clip, dozens of other clips, demonstrate one of the biggest problems with J.D. Vance is that he's always good at winning an argument when he is fighting a straw man, when he's lying about the facts, when he is creating, when he's working on a false premise.”

Vance’s popularity has plummeted, down 21 points since taking office, leaving him with historically poor early-term approval ratings.

The previously anointed MAGA heir apparent’s support in primary polls has slipped, resulting in a near tie with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in several surveys.

Polling analysis from Navigator Research noted Vance’s net favorability "is, and has consistently been, negative by double-digits" overall, yet pointed out he sometimes polls "slightly more popular that President Trump."