Rejected J.D. Vance Compares Himself to Macauley Culkin's Character in 'Home Alone' After Being Omitted from Donald Trump's China Trip
J.D. Vance has compared himself to Macauley Culkin's character in 'Home Alone' after being snubbed from Donald Trump's trip to China.
May 14 2026, Published 8:18 a.m. ET
J.D. Vance has compared himself to Macauley Culkin's character in Home Alone after being omitted from Donald Trump's trip to China.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the vice president, 41, made the link with Kevin McCallister while trying to explain in his absence from the trip.
'It's Very Quiet and No One's Here'
Vance has described what it's like being in the White House all alone.
He said: "I don't travel outside the country with the president.
"On days like today, I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.
"I walk into the White House, and it's very quiet, and no one's there, and it takes me a second to realize exactly what's going on!"
The president brought a sizable delegation with him on the historic trip to Asia, but ironically, the vice president was not among those selected to go.
Those on the guestlist include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Melania's Another Shock Snub
First Lady Melania Trump also failed to make the plane for China.
Trump's son Eric and his wife, Lara, are also part of the crew, as well as a number of top U.S. executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook.
Vance wasn’t the only the only surprised omission as Melania Trump was also brutally snubbed Trump's trip to China.
There has been some speculation about why Vance was left behind, with the main theories surrounding his past stance on China, which he said was the biggest threat to the United States.
Last year, Vance also made a controversial remark when he claimed the U.S. "borrows money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture."
Though it is unclear whether this has anything to do with the reason Vance was left "home alone," it seems likely that the Trump administration wanted to avoid any hindrance to the important discussions that will be taking place in Beijing this week.
Vance Versus Rubio
Trump has been accused picking favorites between Vance and Marco Rubio.
On the top of the list of things the two world leaders are expected to discuss are the war in Iran and of course, the trade tariffs that Trump has bombarded China with since taking office a second time.
On social media, some users speculated that Trump is playing favorites as rumors continue to swirl about a Vance v. Rubio face-off for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2028 election
"Who likes J.D. Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio? All right. Sounds like a good ticket," Trump said on Monday. Many are wondering whether Trump would endorse Vance over Rubio or urge the two to run together on the same ticket.
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The president joked about Vance being scooped up 'like he was a little boy' during recent shooting scare.
Vance’s China snub comes after Trump poked fun at his deputy while reliving last month's White House Correspondents' dinner shooting scare — cracking that Secret Service agents scooped up the vice president "like he was a little boy.”
Trump joked Vance was whisked off stage at lightning speed while he was left wondering why agents didn't rush him out quite as dramatically.
“They had great professional people, and they came out within seconds," said Trump, praising Secret Service agents.
But the president quickly pivoted to joking about Vance's frantic removal from the ballroom.
"I saw them take J.D. by the shoulders and lift him up like he was a little boy," Trump said. "I said, 'how come they didn't lift me up so fast?'"
