Why JD Vance is on a social media detox and what it means for his political future

Is US Vice President JD Vance on a social media detox?

According to reports, Vance did a social media detox for Lent, which began on February 18. This is a 40-day period in which Christians prepare for Easter.

Vance is believed to have deleted the social media app X from his phone for Lent. The development comes as Vance, who was the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2028 presidential election, has seen his chances somewhat slip.

But what is Lent? What do we know about Vance’s social media detox?

Let’s take a closer look

A brief look at Lent

According to Britannica, Lent is a period when Christians fast and remain abstinent ahead of Easter. This reflects Jesus Christ’s 40-day period in the wilderness before he became a preacher. Christians are also encouraged to donate food and money to charity during this period.

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In Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. This is around six and a half weeks before Easter and does not include Sundays. In Eastern churches, Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday before Holy Week preceding Easter. This 40-day period includes Saturdays and Sundays as relaxed fast days.

What about Vance’s social media detox

Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith, in an op-ed, said two persons close to Vance told him that the US vice president deleted the X app from his phone for Lent. According to Smith, even Vance’s close allies aren’t sure what he is up to.

According to The Independent, Vance may be trying to keep himself out of the public eye ahead of his new book, which is slated to release in June. Vance’s new book Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith releases on June 16. HarperCollins describes the book as “an intimate account of why he strayed from the Christianity of his youth and what led him back to faith.”

Vance's popularity slipping

However, the development also comes as Vance’s popularity ahead of the 2028 polls has declined. Semafor quoted Polymarket as showing that Vance’s odds of winning the Republican nomination have slipped under 40 per cent. In November 2025, that number was around 60 per cent.

The Independent quoted poll results from YouGov as showing that Vance's popularity was around 31 per cent — lower than Trump’s by two points. The poll showed that overall, 52 per cent of respondents said they held a dim view of the vice president.

Harry Enten has argued Vance’s trip to Hungary may have made matters worse. Enten said Vance’s trip occurred as 58 per cent of Americans said that the Trump administration was “too focused” on international matters.

US Vice President JD Vance with then Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Reuters

“JD Vance going and campaigning for the prime minister of another country that is pretty far away from here is just part of a larger picture that the American people dislike,” Enten said. He argued that Vance is the most unpopular vice-president in US history.

“JD Vance started off his vice presidency in plus territory, and now he is in negative territory. Down he goes. JD Vance getting dragged down, along with the president of the United States,” Enten was quoted as saying.

What do experts say?

Some Vance backers have noted how his lower profile comes in the background of the Iran conflict, which is increasingly unpopular with all but the most die-hard Maga Republicans. A piece in Unherd.com noted that Vance and his aides realise that the Iran war will only get more unpopular in the future.

The piece added that the Iran war was a betrayal of the 2024 Trump coalition, including independent Hispanic men, African Americans, Democratic-leaning workers and the lower middle class — many of whom rooted for Barack Obama.

Veterans with the group About Face and members of military families protest against the Iran war, in the Cannon House Office Building Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, April 20, 2026. Reuters

“Vance, especially, presented himself as a champion of such restraint, while backing the nominations of staffers identified with the same worldview. The administration’s jarring switcheroo is indeed politically harmful to him in the short and perhaps the medium term,” the piece noted.

However, it added that Vance could simply skip the 2028 nomination and try to position himself in 2032 or even 2036. “The VP’s silence, then, makes perfectly good sense. For now,” the piece concluded.

‘Sneering conventional wisdom’

But others disagree. The Semafor piece noted that a sort of “sneering conventional wisdom toward Vance that doesn’t seem to have much basis in political reality” has taken hold.

“In his short public career, he’s been a bestselling author and an effective political performer who won a Senate seat and mopped the floor with Tim Walz on the debate stage,” the piece added.

It noted how Vance has succeeded in holding together the Republican coalition. “He has loyally served its most important constituent, Trump, and remained close to Donald Trump Jr.. And yet the elements of the party who now loathe or, at best, roll their eyes at Trump hold out hope for Vance. He has been working the Republican coalition hard and, essentially, alone,” the piece noted.

The piece compared Vance to Obama, saying they both drive “their own parties and their enemies crazy.” It argued that, much like Obama, Vance can appeal to the Maga crowd, capitalists and moderates. “We’ll still be arguing in 2035 what he really stands for. And that’s why he’s the overwhelmingly likely Republican nominee in 2028,” the Semafor piece added.

FAQs

1. Why did JD Vance reportedly delete the X app?

Reports suggest he removed the app as part of a Lenten social media detox, though some believe it may also be linked to managing his public profile ahead of his book release.

2. What is Lent and why is it significant?

Lent is a 40-day period of fasting, reflection and charity observed by Christians in preparation for Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s time in the wilderness.

3. Is JD Vance’s political standing declining?

Recent polling and prediction markets indicate a dip in his popularity and chances for the 2028 Republican nomination, though some analysts still view him as a strong contender.

With inputs from agencies