J.D. Vance Divides Social Media After Wearing 'Soviet Communist T-Shirt' in Viral Throwback Photo

Donald Trump's conservative running mate, J.D. Vance, sparked mixed reactions after a throwback photo of him wearing a shirt depicting the U.S.S.R. flag resurfaced on social media.

While some critics slammed Vance for sporting the communist symbol, others argued that it appeared to be a part of a Halloween costume.

One user shared the photo and wrote, "JD Vance in a Soviet communist T-Shirt," and another person added, "This shirt has it all: the star, the hammer and sickle, and the Cyrillic script for USSR ... The dude is weird."

A third X user slammed Vance for wearing an outfit that represented a "totalitarian regime" that was responsible for "killing millions" in the great hunger Holodomor genocide in Ukraine.

However, others pointed out that he appeared to be joined by others in wrestling costumes, which meant he was likely dressing up as Nikolai Volkoff.

"[He] was a professional wrestling character who wasn't even Russian, he was a Croatian-American from Maryland," one wrestling enthusiast pointed out.

Another user said it was clear he was wearing the shirt "ironically," and a separate person joked, "That's the scariest costume anyone could wear on Halloween and I applaud him for his creativity."

This isn't the first time Vance has been dragged on social media for his past behavior. As OK! previously reported, celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Kesha, called out the Hillbilly Elegy author for claiming the country was run by "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives," in a 2021 interview.

“I truly cannot believe this is coming from a potential VP of the United States,” the Friends actress penned on Wednesday, July 24. “All I can say is… Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children one day. I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too.”

However, Vance later argued his comments were being twisted to fit a political agenda.

"There are a whole host of people who don’t have children for a whole host of reasons. And they certainly are great people who can participate fully in the life of this country. And that’s not what I said," he said in a Sunday, July 21, appearance on Fox News.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!