‘I Don’t Even Know What That Means’: Theatrics Over Accountability

 

JD Vance’s Permission Slip for Racism

Today, JD Vance stepped into the White House press room to deliver remarks. As he took questions from reporters, one asked about the AI-generated meme Donald Trump posted, showing Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer in sombreros:
“Hakeem Jeffries said it was racist. Do you agree with that allegation?”

Vance brushed it off, saying he “doesn’t even know what that means,” and argued it couldn’t be racist because Jeffries “isn’t Mexican.” He added that “the president is joking” and “we’re having a good time,” framing it as harmless fun rather than a serious insult.
Here’s the problem:
  • That is what racism is, poking fun at ethnic groups because, well, “you know how they are.”
  • Vance exposed his own ignorance last summer with his grotesque “they are eating the dogs and cats” lie.
What Vance is really doing here is confusing racism with stereotypes. Stereotypes are the engine of racism. Assigning a stereotype to the “wrong” group doesn’t make it harmless; it just makes it both racist and stupid.

Even if Vance claims the intent wasn’t racist, the impact matters. The history of anti-Latino stereotyping means that audiences don’t experience the sombrero meme as an innocent gag. By focusing on Jeffries’ background instead of the act itself, Vance dodges accountability.

When Vance says, “I don’t know what that means,” he isn’t being literal. He’s signaling that he doesn’t accept racism as a real category worth taking seriously. That’s political theater, a posture of studied ignorance — so his base can feel vindicated in shrugging it off.

And coming from the man who launched the “cats and dogs” smear, it’s a pattern:
  • Dehumanize opponents with grotesque tropes.
  • Dismiss accusations of racism as nonsense.
  • Deflect by mocking outrage itself.
This isn’t cluelessness. It’s weaponized bad faith. The logic Vance is advancing goes like this:
  • Racism isn’t a moral wrong; it’s a technical error.
  • If you mis-assign ethnicity, it’s just bad aim, not racism.
  • The real “problem” with racism isn’t bigotry — it’s mislabeling the target.
That’s like saying arson isn’t a crime unless you burn down the wrong house.

Worse, he’s laying out a permission structure:
  1. Make the racist meme.
  2. Insert one absurd or obviously wrong element.
  3. When challenged, say: “See? It’s just a joke, not racism.”
Instead of treating racism as a moral line, Vance reframes it as a PR problem. Strip racism of its moral weight, reduce it to bookkeeping, and suddenly anything goes.

That’s not dismissal. That’s a how-to manual for racism with plausible deniability.

I'm just saying.

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