Vice President JD Vance appeared in Milwaukee on Wednesday to deliver a speech promoting the Trump administration's crackdown on benefit fraud. Several minutes into the speech, Vance flipped over a large poster that had been sitting onstage — revealing what seemed to be a photo of Markita Barnes, a Wisconsin woman convicted in March on 10 counts of healthcare fraud. However, the venue's lighting appeared to obscure the image.
Vance seemingly did not realize he had committed an onstage blunder and continued his speech. "Now, I want to be clear that the woman in the back did nothing wrong," Vance said, referring to a supposed bystander in the photo. "But look at this woman in the front with the smug look and the Louis Vuitton bag. A woman who quite literally stole from young mothers who needed prenatal care."
Social Media and White House Response
Popular X user Acyn Torabi — a senior digital editor for MeidasTouch, known for clipping significant political moments — published a clip of Vance's screw-up with the caption: "Vance pointing to picture obscured by light: Look at this woman."
The White House Rapid Response 47 account, launched by the Trump administration to combat "the Fake News," responded swiftly. "Your dumb ass is shielding a criminal who stole $2.4 million in taxpayer-funded benefits meant to help at-risk pregnant women and women with young kids," the account wrote, retweeting Torabi's clip and providing a clear image of Barnes. "She's spending the next decade in federal prison thanks to this Administration's relentless work to end the fraud."
MeidasTouch Defense and Photographic Evidence
MeidasTouch defended Torabi against the White House's claim that he edited the video to obscure the photo. "Um... Do they think @Acyn blurred their faces? It was Vance who obscured her by placing the board the way he did. The White House essentially just called Vance a 'dumb ass,'" the outlet tweeted.
Getty Images and the Associated Press both published shots of the snafu showing the same glare. The White House's own YouTube video of Vance's speech shows the photo briefly visible when Vance first flips the poster, but once placed on an easel, the image is immediately glared out by the lights for the remainder of his speech.
Rapid Response 47's screenshot was likely taken during that brief moment of clarity. HuffPost also captured a clear visual from the White House's official footage.
Context of the Case
Even though Vance accused Democrats of defending Barnes during his speech, she was initially indicted in 2023, which The New York Times notes was during the Biden administration. HuffPost has reached out to the White House for comment but has not yet received an immediate response.
