Vice President Vance with SEALs
Vice President JD Vance runs along Silver Strand Beach on Coronado. (Photo courtesy of the Vice President’s office)

Vice President JD Vance joined Navy SEALs training on Coronado this week, saying afterward that he felt “like I got hit by a freight train.”

Vance, who served in the Marines, took part in an exercise Monday at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado that involved running, rope-climbing and log-carrying. 

He described the training as “the highest standards anywhere in the world” but acknowledged the SEALs “took it easy on me.”

Photos distributed by the Vice President’s office showed him running on Silver Strand Beach, climbing netting, carrying a log and greeting Navy personnel.

Vance served four years in the Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq as a military journalist and attaining the rank of corporal.

The photos drew criticism from some on the left, saying it was just a stunt that distracted from major issues facing the Trump administration.

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Chris Jennewein is founder and senior editor of Times of San Diego.