A string of unfortunate events has trailed the U.S. Vice President JD Vance, prompting online speculation and dark humor about whether he’s cursed. From a shattered trophy to the death of Pope Francis, a terrorist attack in India, and his brother’s landslide electoral defeat, the coincidences are uncanny enough to fuel conspiracy theories and viral memes. While these incidents are unrelated, their timing has sparked a frenzy on platforms like X, where users debate whether Vance’s presence is a harbinger of misfortune. As a public figure and Catholic convert, Vance’s high-profile role amplifies the scrutiny, but is there more to this narrative than mere chance?
A Trail of Misfortune: From Trophies to Tragedies
The saga began on April 15, 2025, when Vance fumbled The Ohio State University football team’s national championship trophy during a White House celebration. The mishap, caught on camera, became instant fodder for late-night comedians and X users, who dubbed Vance a “jinx.” Days later, during a Vatican visit on Easter Sunday, April 20, Vance met Pope Francis, who died hours later of a cerebral stroke at age 88. The Vatican confirmed the pontiff’s prior health struggles, including double pneumonia, yet the timing ignited hashtags like #JDVanceKilledThePope. Critics, noting Francis’s disapproval of Trump-era immigration policies, spun conspiracies, while Vance expressed condolences, calling the meeting a “great blessing.”
Vance’s next stop was India, where he arrived on April 21 for trade talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The following day, a terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed at least 28 tourists, including Hindus targeted by militants. Vance condemned the attack, but X users like @acnewsitics linked his visit to the tragedy, writing, “JD Vance: Visited the Vatican, the pope died. Went to India, war was brewing with Pakistan.” The attack escalated India-Pakistan tensions, amplifying online chatter about Vance’s “curse.”
Closer to home, Vance endorsed his brother, Cory Bowman, for mayor of Middletown, Ohio. On April 22, Bowman lost in a historic 83-11% rout, a defeat X users tied to Vance’s streak of bad luck. Political analyst Dr. Laura Hensley of Ohio State University notes, “Vance’s visibility as vice president makes every misstep or coincidence a lightning rod for public reaction.”
Superstition or Social Media Hype?
The notion of a curse is, of course, superstition, but the internet thrives on such narratives. Posts on X, like one from @DrewPavlou stating, “JD Vance met the Pope. One day later he died. Travels to India, terrorists attack,” reflect a mix of humor and unease. Sociologist Dr. Mark Reynolds of Georgetown University explains, “Social media amplifies coincidences into patterns, especially when they involve polarizing figures like Vance.” The X platform’s real-time nature fuels this, with memes and threads exaggerating Vance’s role in global events.
Vance has dismissed the speculation, focusing on policy. In India, he emphasized U.S.-India trade ties, saying, “If we work together, the 21st century will be prosperous.” Yet, his Catholic faith and alignment with Trump’s controversial agenda keep him in the spotlight. The Vatican meeting, for instance, was fraught with tension due to Francis’s critique of Vance’s immigration stance, adding fuel to online theories.
While no evidence supports a “curse,” the narrative persists, driven by a polarized public and Vance’s knack for attracting attention. As Dr. Hensley cautions, “Attributing disasters to one person oversimplifies complex events.” Whether the next headline involves Vance or not, the internet is ready to pounce, proving that in today’s digital age, perception often outpaces reality.
