A sharp-edged social media post from a New York Times columnist ignited backlash Wednesday after comments aimed at Vice President JD Vance veered into remarks about his family and childhood.
According to Fox News, Jamelle Bouie, a Times opinion writer, drew criticism on the left-leaning platform Bluesky after suggesting that Vance’s mother would have been justified in trying to sell her son for drugs — a reference to the vice president’s well-documented family struggles with addiction.
The comments came as Bouie attacked Vance over a recent interview with the Daily Mail.
In that interview, Vance declined to apologize to the family of Minnesota shooting victim Alex Pretti after previously accusing Pretti of showing up with “ill intent” at an immigration enforcement protest.
Bouie accused Vance of acting with malice rather than misjudgment.
“[T]his is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway,” Bouie wrote.
He went further, mocking Vance’s demeanor.
“Like, do you see that smirk? that brief ‘ain’t i a stinker’ grin? beneath contempt,” Bouie added.
In a separate exchange responding to another user who labeled Vance “pompous,” Bouie escalated the rhetoric by invoking Vance’s mother.
“No wonder his mom tried to sell him for Percocets,” Bouie wrote.
He then doubled down with a broader remark.
“[I] can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t sell little JD for percocet if they knew he would turn out like this,” Bouie said.
Attempting to pivot, Bouie framed his criticism in metaphorical terms, arguing that Vance suffers from a different kind of dependency.
“To be a bit serious one irony of vance’s life is that he is also an addict: addicted to power and clearly willing to sell anything to get it,” he wrote.
Vance has previously spoken openly about his upbringing and his mother’s battle with addiction in his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” In the book, he detailed how her substance abuse began with a legitimate prescription before spiraling into deeper addiction, including stealing medication from patients.
Despite those hardships, Vance emphasized compassion and commitment to recovery.
“I knew that a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction,” he wrote. “I knew that my family loved me, even when they struggled to take care of themselves.”
In April 2025, Vance marked a personal milestone at the White House, hosting a celebration honoring his mother’s decade of sobriety.
Today, his mother, Bev Aikins, works at Seacrest Recovery Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she is listed as a nurse, according to the facility’s website.
Bouie’s remarks quickly circulated beyond Bluesky, drawing condemnation from critics who said the comments crossed a line by dragging a family member’s past addiction into a political dispute.
