Vice President JD Vance was notably absent from President Trump’s Middle East appearances Monday — a common practice, as vice presidents rarely travel abroad with the president.
Still, Vance kept up political pressure from home on Columbus Day, mocking longtime Trump critic Sen. Elizabeth Warren on social media after she expressed relief over the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
“For two excruciating years, I have called for the return of the hostages brutally kidnapped on October 7th and held in Gaza,” Warren wrote. “Today is a good day. Surviving Israeli hostages are finally home and reuniting with loved ones. I’m thinking of them and their families on this joyful day and praying for their full recovery.”
She also called for supporting the flow of “humanitarian aid” into Gaza, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Vance on X.
“The president told me he did this on Indigenous Peoples Day in honor of you,” he said, in reference to Trump calling Warren “Pocahontas.”
Elon Musk replied with two laughing emojis under a screenshot of Vance’s post, shared by an X user who wrote they “will be voting for JD Vance when he runs.”
The “Pocahontas” nickname stems from Trump’s feud with Sen. Warren over her claims of Native American ancestry. Warren released a DNA test to support the claim, but later apologized to the Cherokee Nation, which said genetic tests are inappropriate for establishing tribal identity.
The president told me he did this on Indigenous Peoples Day in honor of you. https://t.co/KsTPzHQ2yz
— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 13, 2025
