Vance: most college degrees are fake
On Mike Rowe's podcast, JD Vance claimed most people with four-year college degrees have 'effectively fake jobs.'
Snapshot · The MeidasTouch Podcast
Trump Throws Vance Under the Bus as End Is Near
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Jul 13, 2026
Where this was said
JD Vance on Mike Rowe's Podcast: Fake Jobs, VP Life, and Elon's Motorcade Envy
At 9:11 · chapter starts 9:08
The podcast appearance with Mike Rowe becomes a goldmine of revealing Vance moments. He first mentions having written Hillbilly Elegy himself without ChatGPT — a throwaway line that signals how attuned he is to AI criticism. Then he drops the explosive claim: most four-year college graduates, except engineers and doctors, have 'effectively fake jobs.' [1] — JD Vance "JD Vance told Mike Rowe that the majority of people with four-year degrees — anyone who isn't an engineer, doctor, or lawyer — essentially …" 09:11 Asked to describe his daily life, Vance goes on at length about how people grocery shop for him, cook his meals as a special occasion, and how he flies on a 757 with no TSA hassle — before acknowledging that all of it could make him 'an entitled asshole.' He credits his late grandmother Mamaw with keeping him grounded. Finally, he tells an anecdote about Elon Musk riding in his motorcade in Florida during the transition and confessing, 'I can buy a lot, but I can't buy that.' [2] — JD Vance "No TSA lines, private chefs, a 757 — JD Vance describes his VP lifestyle in striking detail and admits that internalizing these perks could…" 10:26 Meiselas presents the whole sequence as proof of how disconnected and odd Vance comes across to ordinary Americans.
JD Vance: Most Four-Year Degrees Are 'Fake Jobs'
JD Vance told Mike Rowe that the majority of people with four-year degrees — anyone who isn't an engineer, doctor, or lawyer — essentially has a fake job. It's a sweeping dismissal of the college-educated workforce.
Vance no longer does groceries
JD Vance admitted on podcast that he no longer goes to the grocery store, cooks his own meals, or stands in TSA lines — all done for him.
JD Vance Confesses: 'I Could Become an Entitled Asshole'
No TSA lines, private chefs, a 757 — JD Vance describes his VP lifestyle in striking detail and admits that internalizing these perks could turn someone into an entitled asshole. He says Mamaw would keep him grounded.
Elon Musk: 'I Can Buy a Lot, But I Can't Buy That'
In his motorcade with Elon Musk in Florida, Vance says the world's richest man looked out at the shut-down traffic and admitted there are some things money simply cannot buy. The anecdote is meant to sound relatable — it doesn't.
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