JD Vance takes ruthless swipe at Joe Biden’s health in first White House briefing since Karoline Leavitt exit

Vice President JD Vance has taken a cutting swipe at former President Joe Biden’s cognitive fitness, delivering a sarcastic jab during his first White House press briefing since Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped down.

Taking the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Thursday afternoon—the White House's first formal media briefing in over 40 days—Vance fielded questions on inflation, foreign policy, and upcoming memorial plans.

The conversation quickly turned to next week’s 25th anniversary commemorations of the September 11 terrorist attacks, where living former commanders-in-chief are expected to assemble at Ground Zero in New York City.

With President Donald Trump scheduled to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Vance confirmed that he would represent the administration in Manhattan alongside former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden.

Asked about crossing paths with the 83-year-old former president, Vance couldn't resist a sarcastic dig aimed directly at Biden's mental sharpness.

The Vice President couldn't resist taking a swipe at the former President in his speech (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"As you guys can probably guess, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Joe Biden," Vance told reporters with a grin. "I'm sure that we'll have many, many intense intellectual conversations, and, you know, it'll be great. We'll have a great time with Joe Biden and the other presidents."

The cutting remark drew immediate reactions in the room, referencing the long-running conservative criticism regarding Biden's age, cognitive health, and public speaking stumbles that ultimately led to his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.

Vance brushed aside speculation that Trump's absence from the Ground Zero ceremony was due to security considerations or disputes over speaking roles, insisting the decision was purely logistical.

"We'd like to be three or four places on 9/11, but you can't have one person be in multiple locations at the exact same time," Vance explained. "We just decided as a team that I would go to New York for 9/11, [and] the president would stay in D.C., of course, to commemorate what happened at the Pentagon, because that was a critical part of the tragedy of 9/11 as well."

It was far from the first time the VP has taken a swipe at Biden's health (Mandel Ngan - Pool/Getty Images)

The briefing marked Vance’s first appearance behind the podium since Karoline Leavitt officially concluded her historic tenure as White House Press Secretary late last month. Leavitt, who left the post to transition to a senior role at the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., has yet to be formally replaced, leaving senior administration figures like Vance to handle press room inquiries.

Despite the political barb, Vance struck a more reflective tone regarding the solemnity of the upcoming anniversary, urging younger Americans who were not alive during the 2001 attacks to tune in.

"I think that sense of commonality and common purpose that we all had on 9/11, that's something that we should really try every single day to get back to," Vance added. "If even just for a day, even if just for a few hours, I would encourage people to tune in."