Overview
- Photos released by Vance and news outlets show him carrying logs, running on the beach, rowing, and climbing obstacles alongside Navy SEALs at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
- He wrote on X that the SEALs “took it easy” on him yet he still felt “hit by a freight train,” while praising service members for their standards.
- Many SEALs’ faces in the images were blurred to protect identities, a common practice for special operations personnel.
- Vance later reposted an edited workout image replacing his face with a viral meme and captioned it “Fixed it,” extending the social-media moment.
- Coverage tied the event to the administration’s Make America Healthy Again messaging and Pete Hegseth’s “fit, not fat” push, as online reaction ranged from praise to ridicule and some critics pointed to polling that shows his GOP support softening.