JD Vance completes intense Navy SEAL training session in California, but there’s one detail about his appearance that breaks the rules

Vice President JD Vance finished a tough 90-minute beach workout with Navy SEALs in California. The training included running, rope climbing, and carrying heavy logs. But the most interesting part was that Vance was the only person in the photos who had a beard, which goes against a new military policy.

According to the NY Post, the workout happened at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where SEALs do their famous Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, called BUD/S. This training is extremely hard, and only about 20% of people make it through “Hell Week.”

Even though the SEALs went easier on him, Vance said he still felt destroyed after the session. The Marine veteran posted on X saying, “They took it easy on me and I still feel like I got hit by a freight train.” He thanked the Armed Forces for keeping the country safe and maintaining the highest standards in the world.

Vance gets special treatment while others follow strict grooming rules

This situation is interesting because War Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a policy in August that stops most service members from having beards. Hegseth said “no more beardos” and wants all military members to be “fit, not fat.” Vance has praised Hegseth for pushing these high standards, but clearly doesn’t follow the same rules himself.

Vance talked about this policy in October. He said when he was a young Marine, he did not have a beard. But he explained that as vice president, he operates under different rules. Vance simply said, “I get to do what I want to do.” The vice president has faced criticism over controversial comments in recent months.

The vice president is following a similar pattern as Hegseth, who often posts videos of himself working out with troops. This shows their focus on physical fitness. The faces of many SEALs who trained with Vance were blurred in the photos to protect their identity.

Vance served in the Marines from 2003 to 2007 and went to Iraq in 2005. He says that time shaped his America First foreign policy views. This workout fits with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again efforts, which focus on physical fitness for the military. His memoir has also made headlines recently after it played a role in drug smuggling.

The message is clear, high fitness standards matter for everyone, but appearance rules only apply to regular service members, not leadership.