Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio State alumnus, poked fun at his alma mater's recent loss to Oregon during a Small Business Administration conference in Washington on Monday. Vance, who graduated in 2009, compared the Buckeyes' struggles to Republican midterm election losses in Ohio and other states.
"Before I get into the meat of my remarks, I wanted to talk about the devastating loss last week," Vance said. "There are a lot of people unfairly criticizing the leader of the team despite leading us to a great victory two years ago. ... There's a lot of staff infighting and questions about reshuffling. There's a conversation about whether the No. 2 has what it takes to ultimately lead the team."
Vance then clarified he was referring to the Ohio State Buckeyes, expressing confidence in backup quarterback Luke Fahey and predicting a turnaround. The remarks came as Republicans faced questions about party leadership after losing key races in Ohio, Texas, and South Carolina.
In Columbus, head coach Ryan Day fired special teams coach Robby Discher following the loss, with Oregon's fake punt cited as a pivotal moment. Ohio State faces upcoming games against Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan as they attempt to recover.
