Just before Donald Trump took the floor in Congress on March 4, an apparently private conversation between Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson was captured on camera. A lip-reading expert now claims that Vance uttered some remarkable words that have sparked speculation.
JD Vance has undergone one of the most remarkable political transformations in recent memory. When he published the book Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, he was an outspoken critic of Trump, even describing him as an “idiot” and “America’s Hitler” in a private message on Facebook.
This is what Newsner writes.
“I alternate between thinking that Trump is a cynical idiot like Nixon, who might not be so bad (and could even prove useful), or that he is America’s Hitler,” he wrote at the time, according to Reuters.
When this comment was published in 2022, Vance's spokesperson acknowledged that he had said it but stressed that it no longer represented his views.
Since then, Vance has changed course significantly and is now one of Trump's most loyal supporters—so loyal that he ended up as vice president.
Spotted in conversation
As Congress prepared for Trump's speech, Vance was spotted having a conversation with Mike Johnson. A microphone was nearby, but the conversation was almost inaudible. However, speech reader Jeremy Freeman claims he was able to read what Vance said:
“Yes, that's it, a full showdown, and it's long awaited.”
He also allegedly told Johnson, “By the way, I think the speech will be great. But I don’t understand how you do it in 90 minutes.”
Mike Johnson's response was actually picked up by the microphone.
"The hardest part was doing it under Biden, because his speech was a stupid campaign speech," Johnson said.
Johnson then discreetly lowered his microphone, as if trying to keep the rest of the conversation private.
But what did Vance mean by the words “a full showdown”? And what does it mean at a time when Trump and his allies are preparing for another intense election campaign?
"Vance is the real threat"
Vance has recently made a name for himself with strong political statements. Just days before this remark, he had a heated confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, and he has also been critical of Britain.
His words about a “showdown” have caused the internet to explode with speculation.
One social media user wrote: “What kind of showdown is this, JD? What are you planning? You’ve already hijacked the country and its money—what are you going to do now?”
Another added: “I’ve seen guys like Vance before. The skinny guy who hangs out with the bully but gets scared when the bully isn’t there. He talks but backs off when confronted.”
A third wrote directly: “Trump is a puppet—Vance is the real threat.”
Speculation is rife: Does Vance mean an internal showdown within the Republican Party? A purge of critics? Or is it about a broader political shift in the new administration?
Regardless, one thing is clear: JD Vance is no longer just a figure in Trump's shadow—he has become a central player in an administration that appears to be planning significant changes. And if his words are anything to go by, the "showdown" is only just beginning.
