Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance recently mocked MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle for her fact-checking of an offhand comment he made about his sons’ eating habits. During a visit to a Pennsylvania supermarket on September 21, Vance, speaking about inflation and rising grocery prices, joked that his two sons eat about 14 eggs every morning. Ruhle, picking up on the comment, posted on X (formerly Twitter), calculating that his sons would consume 98 eggs per week, seemingly taking the hyperbole literally.
Vance responded on X, ridiculing the analysis by comparing it to exaggerated expressions people use, such as saying they’re so tired they could “sleep for days.” He joked that Ruhle would likely fact-check such statements by pointing out they actually only slept for eight hours.
Other commentators and political figures joined in to poke fun at Ruhle’s post. CNN’s Scott Jennings and Reason’s Robby Soave both mocked the seriousness with which the hyperbole was treated. Meanwhile, RealClearInvestigations writer Mark Hemingway criticized the fact-checking of Vance’s joke, especially when more serious issues related to political figures had gone unchecked.
This incident follows Ruhle’s previous criticism for conducting what many described as a “softball” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, where she was accused of defending Harris’ non-answers to key questions.