Politico's magazine cover mishmash of new Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance and "little known" fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings" led to tough questions on the internet, with some asking whether it was satirical, and others pointedly remarking that Saruman wasn't a "role model."
Politico Magazine's cover of "How Lord of the Rings Shaped J.D. Vance's Politics" includes a graphic of the staff-wielding Ohio senator wearing a wizard hat and blowing smoke rings with a pipe. Vance wears a ring on his finger and stands in a suit and blue tie in front of the mythical Misty Mountains and the "eye of Sauron."
Author Adam Wren notes that Vance stands to become the first millennial to appear on a presidential ticket and geeks out over the famous trilogy.
"Vance himself has pointed to Tolkien’s high fantasy epics as a window into understanding his worldview," Wren writes.
Indeed, Vance has said J.R. Tolkien is his favorite author and he's a "big Lord of the Rings guy."
Moreover, "a lot of my conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien growing up."
Social media users blasted Vance and the Politico cover on X, with many wondering if Vance missed the point.
"Tolkien's 'world view' was pretty liberal. And influenced by WW 1 experience," wrote Blue Bee@Blue_Bee_pllntr. "Unless JD Vance is influenced by Sauron or Morgoth, then he missed the entire point."
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"For me, LotR was largely about how power corrupts, and the temptation to flatter yourself that *you* will be the exception, that you will use power only for good," wrote @StillTr05207382. "If Vance took away the same message, this is good news. But did he?"
"Art is a mirror, you see what you want to see," waxed @NoahPinion666. "I don’t doubt he identified with trying to remain frozen in a rustic culture that only thought it was self-sufficient, and is entirely imaginary anyway."
Others were more pointed in their criticism of Vance.
"Dude, you are Saruman. @JDVance1," chided @JBWolfsthal.
"JD Vance isnt Gandalf, he's more like Grima Wormtongue," wrote @Dan_Whitcher.
"Saruman wasn't supposed to be a role model," slammed @MikeInNebraska.
"Yea Vance read the books and thought Sauron was the good guy," said @thekman25 on Friday.
