We Removed JD Vance's Eyeliner And He Finally Looks Normal

JD Vance has been propelled into the public spotlight since Donald Trump announced him as his running mate in a July 15, 2024 Truth Social post. Given his newly anointed high profile, it's little surprise that he's come under scrutiny and, well, there are a few strange things about JD that are impossible to ignore. One glaring anomaly is the eyeliner that the politician is rumored to be so fond of wearing, a surprising look for somebody who's a staunch conservative and fierce exponent of traditional family values.

The internet has been firmly divided over whether JD has some cosmetic enhancement to help his blue eyes sparkle. As speculation reached fever pitch, his wife, Usha Vance, stepped into the fray, insisting her husband doesn't need makeup because he's genetically blessed. "They're all natural," she told Puck News in an August 8 statement. "I've always been jealous of those lashes."

However, a top makeup artist tells us that JD's look could be exactly what everybody thinks: eyeliner. "Many celebrities are known for using concealer to brighten the undereye and dark brown eye pencil liner on the lower eyelid to make their eye color pop," Luna Viola told Nicki Swift exclusively. Still, she said it's possible that, as Usha insists, he's not necessarily using liner on his top lids and that, yes, indeed, he just has enviable long lashes. To investigate further, we removed JD's purported eyeliner — check out the after pic.

Does JD Vance wear eyeliner? It's the question that's been burning up the interweb ever since he stepped into the vice presidential ring. We removed what many believe to be JD's eye makeup, and although the difference is subtle, it's definitely there. Without the smoky eye, the self-professed hillbilly looks way less goth, way more country.

Despite his wife Usha Vance's insistence that JD was born this way, many aren't convinced. "If you look closely, we can see that Vance has lined the inner corner of his eyes with a dark black," Desi Lydic claimed in an August 1 "The Daily Show" skit. "That could be to make his baby blues pop, or it could be to reflect the dark black part of his soul that hates childless women." Meanwhile, JD's look has spawned a whole load of TikTok makeup tutorials.

It's not only JD who's faced makeup speculation. Donald Trump's unnaturally orange skin has been fodder for the rumor mill for years. However, Cleveland makeup artist Jason Kelly, who worked at the 2016 RNC, said Trump's look is ripped straight from the pages of a "Love Island" beauty manual. "I know exactly what he does to himself — the tanning bed, the spray tan, he wears the goggles, and you can see the hyper-pigmentation around his eyes," Kelly told Harper's Bazaar in July.

Eyeliner or no eyeliner, Donald Trump is a big fan of his running mate's physical attributes. However, some pundits believe one of them — JD Vance's facial hair — could prove an issue. Full beards are a rarity in Washington, and it's been over a century since a president has rocked one (Benjamin Harrison, who left office in 1893). Still, Trump waxed lyrical about Vance's bushy look in an interview with Fox News Radio in July 2024, comparing him to a much-beloved bearded U.S. president. "He looks good. He looks like a young Abraham Lincoln," Trump opined.

It's not just the facial hair that Trump finds attractive. According to Meredith McGraw, writing for Politico, Trump reportedly fangirled over Vance's appearance during the early days of their bromance. "You are one handsome son of a b****," a source recalled him gushing.

Meanwhile, the great Vance makeup debate continues to rage on social media, with some speculating that the aspiring vice president may have picked up some tips from the Kardashians. "The more JD Vance is on camera, the more noticeable his contour and eyeliner becomes. Yes, his beliefs and this talking point is insane, emblematic of what the Republican Party has always been, but to do all this and not perform gender correctly?" a commenter on X, formerly Twitter, pondered. "i do think it's funny that jd vance thought all his problems could be solved with contour and a little eyeliner," another wrote.