It seems Vice President JD Vance is packing his bags again. Reports say his family is heading to the Cotswolds in England for a stay at a luxury manor that costs about $10,800 a week.
The grand home is not far from Jeremy Clarkson’s famous Diddly Squat Farm, the one featured on his hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm. Sounds like the perfect peaceful countryside break… unless Clarkson happens to drop by.
That’s where things could get interesting. The Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle pointed out there might be an “awkward” moment if Vance and Clarkson cross paths. Why? Because Clarkson has already called Vance some choice names, including a “bearded God-botherer” and even a “t**t.” These insults came earlier this year after Vance dismissed the UK as “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.” Clarkson, never one to hold back, clearly didn’t appreciate the comment.
But the vacation news comes on the heels of another mini-scandal. Recently, there was an uproar over claims that Vance had the water levels of Ohio’s Little Miami River raised before his birthday boating trip. Many assumed this was some over-the-top VIP demand.
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Now, however, it appears the request didn’t come from Vance at all. According to The Guardian, the Secret Service made the call — without the vice president’s knowledge. A spokesperson for Vance said, “The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the vice president or his staff, as was the case last weekend.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that its Louisville district was asked to release more water from Caesar Creek Lake to help the vice president’s security team navigate the river safely. They complied, saying it was for “safe navigation” of motorized boats, law enforcement, and emergency responders.
Apparently, a public safety boat had run aground during a scouting trip before the vice president’s visit. The water level change was meant to make sure such mishaps didn’t happen again.
Still, critics aren’t letting Vance off the hook so easily. Representative Eric Swalwell fired off a short but sharp comment on X (formerly Twitter): “Does this guy ever work?”
Others chimed in with their own frustrations.
One user, @JenelleComedy, asked, “Who pays for all these vacations? It should NOT be us.” Another user, @Laurieluvsmolly, pointed out, “Whereas Kamala Harris took ZERO vacations in the same time period.”
Whether fair or not, the image of Vance heading off for another luxury trip while ordinary Americans are struggling to pay for groceries isn’t exactly helping his public perception. In politics, timing is everything — and this timing might be terrible.
Featured image via X screengrab
