It may be more specific than that:
In “Hillbilly Elegy,” the 2016 memoir that made JD Vance a celebrity, he described constantly remaking his childhood self to fit the rotating cast of father figures his unsound mother brought into their lives. … Vance’s yearning for a father is a constant theme in the book, as is his willingness to rationalize the flaws of the men he looks up to.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/opinion/jd-vance-changeability.html
Imagine adopting ■■■■■ as a father figure – after seeing how he treats his actual children!
