The media jumped at another opportunity to smear Vice President JD Vance — and once again, they faceplanted.

After Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass on Sunday, headlines from The Daily Beast and the Daily Mail breathlessly claimed the Pope “snubbed” Vance during the ceremony. The narrative was clear: paint Vance, a prominent conservative figure and close ally of President Trump, as persona non grata at the Vatican.

But there was just one problem: it wasn’t true.

Photos and videos released Monday showed that Vance not only met with Pope Leo XIV privately but also had an extended and warm exchange with him, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two American leaders delivered a letter from President Trump and First Lady Melania inviting the Pope to the White House. Vance personally expressed how thrilled many Americans were with his selection.

The Vice President didn’t arrive empty-handed. He presented the Pope, who is an Augustinian priest, with two theological classics from St. Augustine — City of God and On Christian Doctrine. He also handed over a Chicago Bears jersey customized with the Pope’s name and number, a nod to the Pope’s publicly known admiration for American football.

Pope Leo returned the gesture by giving Vance a bronze sculpture engraved with the words “Peace is a fragile flower” and a coffee table book of the papal apartments — joking that he might move in but hadn’t decided yet.

So much for a “snub.”

This wasn’t the first time Vance has been smeared with lazy or dishonest headlines. The same Daily Beast article that falsely accused him of violating Vatican photo rules in the Sistine Chapel had to acknowledge — buried in the text — that Vance had full permission from Vatican officials to take photos. That didn’t stop the media hit job.

And yet again, they’ve overplayed their hand. Not only did Vance meet the Pope, but he had a seat of honor during the Mass — with none other than the Pope’s brother, a vocal Trump supporter, sitting beside him.

This visit clearly included more than polite protocol. It was a diplomatic mission, a personal exchange, and, as Vance emphasized, a step toward direct communication between the Trump administration and the Vatican — without the filter of media distortion.

Justice was served when the receipts came out. But this episode once again proves that legacy outlets like The Daily Beast are more interested in building false narratives than reporting actual facts. They tried to embarrass the Vice President, but only embarrassed themselves — and perhaps even unintentionally disrespected the Pope in the process.

As Vance continues to represent the Trump administration on the world stage, don’t expect the dishonest headlines to stop. But this latest media failure shows that when facts emerge, their spin collapses — every time.