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JD Vance Calls Out Democrats for Chicken-Costume Taco Truck Stunt

By Jake Beardslee · June 4, 2025

Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Memorial Day observance.  U.S. Secretary of Defense / Wikimedia

Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Democrats on Tuesday after the Democratic National Committee parked a taco truck outside the Republican National Committee building on Capitol Hill. The truck served free tacos and mocked President Donald Trump with a large image of him dressed in a chicken costume. The message on the truck read, “Trump Always Chickens Out.”

“We have the lamest opposition in American history,” Vance wrote on X in response to the stunt.

The taco truck is part of a broader Democratic push to brand Trump as unwilling to follow through on policy positions, particularly after he reverses unpopular decisions. The phrase “Trump Always Chickens Out,” or “TACO,” originated from Financial Times journalist Robert Armstrong. The term has since caught on among critics of the president’s economic and trade decisions.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin defended the food truck’s message, saying, “Trump always chickens out — we’re just bringing the tacos to match.” He added, “Instead of realizing his tariff chaos is wrecking the economy, Trump continues to drag America towards more economic pain, and the rest of the world sees Trump for exactly what he is: a chicken.”

In response to Vance’s critique, the DNC pointed to a viral video of Vance during the 2024 campaign struggling to order at a donut shop. “We understand that JD Vance, the cringiest VP in American history who cannot order a donut like a normal human being, prefers to take food away from people — including 40 million Americans whose SNAP benefits are under threat from Trump and the GOP’s budget bill,” said DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman.