Obama Accuses JD Vance Of Promoting ‘Blood And Soil’ Politics
Former President Barack Obama rarely mentions Vice President JD Vance by name, but that changed this week with one of his sharpest public attacks since Vance took office.
The comments immediately fueled speculation that Democrats are beginning to focus more attention on the vice president as Republicans look ahead to the post-Trump era.
Speaking Thursday during a conversation with author Malcolm Gladwell, Obama accused Vance of promoting what he described as a “blood and soil” vision of America, despite being married to Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Obama made the remarks while discussing the Reconstruction era and arguing that many of the same debates over citizenship, voting rights and national identity continue today.
“We have a politics now that at least one of our major parties has been captured by politics that is not that subtle about suggesting that ‘We the people’ means a certain kind of people,” Obama said.
“When you have the vice president, current vice president, making a speech that is basically a blood and soil version of ‘We the people,’ that it matters who your parents were and how long they’ve been here despite him being married to a daughter of an immigrant himself.”
The phrase “blood and soil” is historically associated with Nazi Germany and white nationalist ideology.
Obama went on to argue that debates over who belongs in America remain central to the nation’s politics.
“That echoes, then, ideas about who can be a citizen, who belongs, who gets to make decisions,” he said.
Gladwell followed by accusing Vance of hypocrisy, arguing that the vice president was making what he called a nativist argument despite his own family’s immigrant background.
Obama agreed.
“That is progress,” Obama said.
“Listen, hypocrisy is progress. It is, because it means that you feel guilty enough to either lie to yourself or others.”
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Vance’s office for comment.
Obama did not identify the specific speech he was criticizing, but Vance’s most recent nationally televised remarks came during Independence Day celebrations marking America’s 250th birthday.
In that speech, Vance encouraged Americans to reject what he called a “two-dimensional view” of the country focused only on its historical failures.
“So what I’d ask you to do, my fellow Americans, on our 250th birthday, is to reject the two-dimensional view of your fellow citizens and reject the two-dimensional view of your country,” Vance said.
“Reject the view of your nation that sees only its sins, but not its grace and its greatness.”
He also emphasized that America’s accomplishments were achieved by “a common people working towards a common future.”
Obama has generally avoided making Vance a regular target since the vice president took office.
One notable exception came during the 2024 presidential campaign when then-Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Without naming Vance directly, Obama contrasted Harris’ choice with the Republican ticket.
“When a presidential candidate chooses a running mate, it says a lot about who they are and what kind of president they’ll be,” Obama said at the time, Fox News reported.
Political observers have increasingly discussed Vance as a potential frontrunner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, though he has not announced any plans to run.
Against that backdrop, Obama’s unusually direct criticism is likely to fuel speculation that some Democrats are beginning to sharpen their message against a politician they view as a likely future standard-bearer for the Republican Party. While no Democratic leaders have publicly described their strategy in those terms, prominent figures often begin drawing contrasts with potential future rivals well before a presidential campaign officially begins.
Whether that proves to be the case remains to be seen, but Obama’s remarks marked one of his most pointed critiques of Vance to date and ensured the vice president once again found himself at the center of the national political conversation.
UPDATE: House Passes Key Bill In Nod To Trump Admin
Washington — In a closely watched vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved the SPEED Act, legislation aimed at accelerating federal permitting for large-scale artificial intelligence data centers and supporting power projects.
The bill passed Friday by a narrow 218-to-213 margin, highlighting sharp partisan divides even as lawmakers on both sides recognize AI’s critical role in national security and economic competitiveness.
The SPEED Act targets reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. It would shorten environmental reviews that have stalled major construction projects for years and cut the statute of limitations for related lawsuits from six years down to just 150 days.
Supporters argue these changes are essential to meet exploding demand for data centers and reliable energy as AI technologies advance rapidly.
Republican lead sponsor Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas called the measure a national imperative: “The expansion of AI computing power for both civilian and military use is a national imperative.” He stressed the need for the U.S. to maintain its technological edge, especially against China.
The legislation drew public support from major tech players including OpenAI, Micron, and Microsoft.
Passage came after last-minute drama. Some conservative Republicans pushed for amendments protecting prior executive actions on offshore wind and other green energy limits. Democrats largely opposed the final version, with Rep. Scott Peters of California warning it codifies a “broken permitting status quo.” He said a more bipartisan approach may need to come from the Senate.
The House action pairs with a new Trump administration initiative: the U.S. Tech Force. This two-year program will recruit about 1,000 engineers and technical experts to modernize federal AI systems in partnership with companies like Amazon Web Services, Apple, Google, Nvidia, Oracle, and Palantir.
Together, the SPEED Act and Tech Force aim to address two major bottlenecks for American AI leadership: regulatory delays and specialized talent shortages. The bill now heads to the Senate, where further negotiations are expected.
This development intensifies the national debate over balancing rapid AI growth with environmental safeguards and partisan priorities in the race for global technological supremacy.
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1,100 videos serve as evidence to apprehend the mastermind who incited the riots.
1,100 videos serve as evidence to apprehend the mastermind who incited the riots.
Washington, D.C. - July 10, 2026
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray has not been arrested, charged with treason, or accused of conspiring to overthrow the government, despite widespread online rumors to the contrary.
Wray voluntarily resigned as director in January 2025, prior to the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. He was succeeded by Kash Patel, who assumed the role in February 2025. Official records show no criminal proceedings or arrest warrants have been issued against Wray since his departure from the bureau.
The rumors appear to stem from long-running political disputes surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In late 2025, President Trump and several conservative media outlets renewed claims that the FBI had embedded undercover agents among the crowd to incite violence. Trump publicly suggested that the Department of Justice might investigate Wray over the matter.
During his tenure, Wray repeatedly testified before Congress and rejected these allegations. He described claims that the FBI orchestrated or provoked the January 6 events as baseless. The bureau maintained that its personnel present that day were performing standard crowd-control and evidence-gathering duties after the violence had already begun.
Much of the confusion in recent online videos and posts appears to arise from a misunderstanding of legal terminology. Between 2023 and 2024, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to Wray requesting documents related to the investigation of President Joe Biden’s family. These were formal requests for information and testimony, not arrest warrants. The disputes were ultimately resolved through negotiations between the executive branch and Congress, without any physical detention or criminal charges against Wray.
“There is no basis in fact for claims that Director Wray was arrested or charged with any crime,” a Justice Department official familiar with the matter said.
Current FBI leadership under Director Patel has not indicated any active criminal investigation into Wray’s conduct during his time as director. The bureau continues to focus on its operational priorities, while public discussion of past controversies remains largely confined to political commentary and social media.
The circulation of unverified claims about high-profile former officials highlights ongoing challenges in distinguishing between legitimate political debate and misinformation. As of now, no credible evidence has emerged to support allegations of criminal conduct by Wray, and official records confirm he left office through standard resignation procedures rather than under any legal compulsion.
