Podcaster Jennifer Welch Draws Criticism for Telling Listeners to Keep 'Pistols Firing' at JD Vance
In a clip that spread on social media, Welch called Vance unfit for office and urged people to defeat him. Critics say the gun language is dangerous. Her remarks also referred to beating him at the polls.
A podcaster's remarks about Vice President JD Vance are drawing sharp criticism online. Fox News reports that Jennifer Welch, host of the "I've Had It" podcast, said listeners should keep "pistols firing" toward Vance and defeat him in 2028.
What she said. According to Fox, Welch attacked Vance over his family and his ties to billionaire donor Peter Thiel, and used a series of personal insults. She said "we need to keep firing, pistols firing at all time towards this guy." She also said that if Vance wants to take over the MAGA movement, "we will go to the polls" and beat Republicans. Fox says the clip was widely shared.
The criticism. Elizabeth Pipko, a former Republican National Committee spokesperson who hosts "Made in America," told Fox the word "pistols" raises "serious questions about whether a threat has been made." She said Welch's wider remarks suggested she knew what she was saying, and that condemning violent language "should be the easiest thing in the world."
The backdrop. Fox notes that violent political rhetoric, even when used as a figure of speech, has drawn heightened scrutiny after the assassination attempts against President Trump and the 2025 killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. It also recalls that Welch laughed on her show after Kirk's death while sharing footage of a protester celebrating it.
Who has not responded. Fox says the White House, Vance's team and Thiel did not immediately answer its requests for comment. Fox does not say whether Welch has responded.
Note for readers: we have not heard the podcast and rely on Fox's quotes. The "pistols" line is read by critics as a threat. Welch's own words, as quoted by Fox, also point to an election.