Vice President JD Vance posted a Halloween video of himself as Dumbledore cradling his newborn son dressed as Dobby the house-elf — the kind of harmless family moment that used to be unremarkable in American life, except that in today's media landscape, a conservative Christian family enjoying a holiday is either ignored or spun while left-wing radicals mock a political assassination and get a pass.
Vance stood on a decorated porch in a silver-gray wig, pointed hat, and matching robe. "Vice President Dumbledore here with little Dobby the Elf wishing you a happy Halloween. Have fun. Be safe. Eat a lot of candy," he said, according to The Gateway Pundit. His entire family dressed as Harry Potter characters — his eldest as Harry, the middle children as a dragon and a spider. Vance had previewed the costume on Fox News, joking that with the beard and white hair, "it's kind of like fat, old JD, so I feel very comfortable in my Dumbledore costume."
Contrast that with what the other side of the political aisle spent Halloween doing. The Post Millennial reports that left-wing radicals are dressing as a bloodied Charlie Kirk for Halloween — complete with fake blood around the neck to mock the fatal gunshot wound that killed the Turning Point USA founder at Utah Valley University in September 2025. Some made it a couple's costume, with a female partner portraying his widow, Erika. Dozens of TikTok videos show men in Kirk's white "Freedom" T-shirt smeared with fake blood, carrying microphones to reference the speaking event where he was assassinated by alleged shooter Tyler Robinson, identified as a left-wing extremist.
The mockery didn't stop at costumes. Actress Amanda Seyfried called the slain Kirk "hateful" after his death and refused to apologize. Internet personality Tana Mongeau released a video parodying Erika Kirk's YouTube message to the public, wearing all black and staring into a microphone. "I feel like I should immediately apologize for this but I'm not sure if I'm sorry so," her caption read.
Two Halloweens, two Americas. One features a sitting vice president having fun with his kids — four children with his wife, Usha — in a costume his own kids picked because they love the books. The other features a political movement so consumed by hatred that it celebrates a man's murder and taunts his widow on the holiday. The establishment press will tell you which one deserves your outrage, and it won't be the side wearing fake blood to mock a corpse.
The question isn't why Vance posted a wholesome video. The question is why the institutions that police conservative speech can't bring themselves to condemn the ghouls who think a man's assassination is a punchline.
