Vice President JD Vance ignited a firestorm on Wednesday after joining the left-leaning social media platform Bluesky and posting a direct challenge to its overwhelmingly progressive user base. In his opening message, Vance invited users to engage in “common sense political discussion and analysis” — and promptly posted an excerpt from Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurring opinion in United States v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court case that upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-transition procedures for minors.
The post was equal parts political statement and calculated provocation. Vance included a passage from Thomas questioning the legitimacy and influence of the medical “expert class,” particularly in areas involving children and irreversible treatments. Thomas wrote that there is “no medical consensus” on treating gender dysphoria in minors, and criticized experts for allowing ideology to override objective science.
“Hello Bluesky,” Vance wrote in his first post. “I’ve been told this app has become the place to go to for common sense political discussion and analysis. So I’m thrilled to be here to engage with all of you.” He followed up by citing Thomas’s view that “so-called experts” have used flawed science to promote experimental therapies and added: “Many of those scientists are receiving substantial resources from big pharma to push these medicines on kids. What do you think?”
Just set up my page on @bluesky, hope to see you guys there! pic.twitter.com/5cgjyMF8su
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 18, 2025
What followed was predictably swift and severe backlash from Bluesky users. Progressive figures and activist accounts quickly accused Vance of promoting “deranged” views, with some calling for him to be cyberbullied off the platform altogether. Gun control advocate Fred Guttenberg labeled Vance an “anti-Democracy hack,” while investigator Zach Kopplin openly encouraged harassment, writing, “Time to cyber bully JD Vance off this app.”
Shortly after the posts went live, Vance’s account was suspended — triggering even more attention and criticism of the platform itself. Though Bluesky later reinstated the account and attributed the suspension to automated impersonation filters, the optics were already clear: the sitting Vice President had been temporarily silenced within minutes of offering a dissenting viewpoint on a highly charged topic.
Vance’s posts referenced the Skrmetti ruling, in which the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s right to prohibit gender transition procedures for minors. The majority opinion found no violation of the Equal Protection Clause, siding with state lawmakers who argued that such decisions fall under their constitutional authority.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the ruling a “historic Supreme Court win” and noted that the decision respected the will of the people. “A bipartisan supermajority of Tennessee’s elected representatives carefully considered the evidence and voted to protect kids from irreversible decisions they cannot yet fully understand,” Skrmetti said.
