Overview
- Vice President JD Vance posted on X comparing Sen. Tammy Duckworth to Forrest Gump during her exchange with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Venezuela policy.
- Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient who lost both legs in Iraq, rebuked the remark as demeaning to people with disabilities and defended her oversight role.
- Illinois leaders and veterans' advocates, including Gov. JB Pritzker, the Democratic Party of Illinois and VoteVets, condemned the comment, with several lawmakers calling it disgraceful.
- Vance later followed up by praising Rubio’s testimony on X, and as of the latest reports he has not withdrawn or apologized for the comparison.
- The clash stemmed from Duckworth pressing Rubio on whether the U.S. is at war with Venezuela and whether to rescind use of the wartime Alien Enemies Act tied to deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members.