Is Nate Vance - who criticized the Trump administration's reduction of support for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion - Vice President JD Vance's cousin? Yes, that's true: Nate Vance is the first cousin of JD Vance. His father, Jim Vance, is the brother of JD's mother, Beverly. Nate detailed the family connection on social media and online records show their family connections.
The claim appeared in a video published by CNN on March 11, 2025 titled "JD Vance's cousin who served in Ukraine speaks out" (archived here) with the video opening with host Erin Burnett saying:
Nate, I know you call yourself a Republican leaning Independent, and I know you've been supportive at times of the Trump administration, but on this issue of Ukraine where you have put so much of your life over the years, you think your cousin is misguided. How come?
This is what the post looked like on CNN.com at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Wed Mar 12 17:20:54 2025 UTC)
In the CNN interview, Erin Burnett refers to Nate's cousin, the Vice President of the United States. While the Vice President's office in the White House did not respond to a comment request, there is ample independent information to support Nate's statement that he is the cousin of JD.
Nate on his X account (archived here), family photos of himself with a younger JD, writing, "My father James Vance is the brother of JD's mother. When JD changed his last name to Vance it was that was his grandmothers name who raised him. Here are a few family photos," as this screenshot shows:
My father James Vance is the brother of JD's mother. When JD changed his last name to Vance it was that was his grandmothers name who raised him. Here are a few family photos. pic.twitter.com/ehhrUgzXX4
-- Nate Vance (@VanceNate) March 10, 2025
(Source: X screenshot taken on Wed Mar 12 17:39:11 2025 UTC)
JD spoke about his grandmother during his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in 2024, (archived here), calling his "Meemaw" a woman who was "tough as nails."
According to the Find a Grave website obituary for the vice president's grandmother, Bonnie Eloise "Mamaw" Blanton Vance (archived here), Nate is the son of her son Jim Vance (bold added by Lead Stories) while the vice president is the son of Beverly Warner and at the time was known by the name JD Hamel:
Bonnie is survived by her children Jim (wife, Donna) Vance of Napa, Calif., Beverly Warner of Middletown, Lori (husband, Dan) Meibers of Middletown; six grandchildren, Rachel Vance and Nathan Vance of Napa, Calif., Lindsay Ratliff (husband, Kevin), JD Hamel, Bonnie Rose Meibers and Hannah Meibers of Middletown; three great grandchildren, Kameron Ratliff, Meghan Ratliff and Emma Ratliff of Middletown; two brothers, Blaine (wife, Judy) Blanton, Jr. of Lebanon, Ind. and Gary (wife, Wanda) Blanton of Carmel, Ind.; two sisters, Betty Sebastian and Elizabeth Rose (husband, Arch) Stacy of Jackson, Ky. as well as many loving nieces and nephews.
Nate's co-worker posted a tweet and photo of him (archived here), writing about his connection to JD, "Nate Vance, working with my ordnance disposal team in early 2022, prior to him taking a contract with Ukrainian military A fantastic guy to work with and a proper team player. Seen here doing drone scans over a former Russian position outside of Hostolmel. No make up, no eye liner, just a 100% real man, unlike his cousin." This is a screenshot of the post:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Wed Mar 12 17:28:08 2025 UTC)
Other Lead Stories fact checks about JD Vance can be found here and more regarding the Russian war in Ukraine here.
