Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance reflects on his recent visit to a doughnut shop in Valdosta, Georgia.
And you know what? He’s not happy about it either.
Last week, the Ohio senator stopped by Holt’s Sweet Shop to take part in one of those “Politician Greets the People” events designed to showcase a candidate in a natural, everyday setting.
But the visit turned out to be uncomfortable, even embarrassing, because an employee behind the counter either didn’t know she was talking to a person who could one day be second in line to the presidential throne, or she simply didn’t care.
One thing was important to her, however: She did not want to be filmed while Vance was considering which doughnuts to buy and finally told the woman to “whatever makes sense.”
Here’s a clip to refresh your memory.
The exchange went viral for all the wrong reasons, and Vance admitted to NBC News on Tuesday that he was unhappy with how things turned out – particularly because of the impact on the employee who didn’t want to be on camera from the start.
“I just felt terrible for that woman,” Vance said. “We went in and there were 20 Secret Service agents and 15 cameras. She obviously hadn’t been properly warned and was terrified, right? I just felt terrible for her.”
This was not Vance’s only unpleasant encounter with average Americans.
Last week, he tried to poke fun at the owner of a Wisconsin deli by asking him if there was anything to eat that he didn’t really like, quipping, “We’ll take some of that and give some to the journalists on the plane.”
Despite attracting social media embarrassment, Vance told NBC News that he actually enjoys meeting new people and that his interactions with them are genuine.
“We don’t need to do these scripted events – I don’t want to film three attempts at how to buy Doritos at Sheetz,” he said, referring to a recent visit by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz to the convenience store chain.
“I like to get out and talk to people,” Vance added, but stressed that he would like his staff to organize meetings better.
“We want to make sure we do it, but certainly make sure that people at least don’t have a problem being on camera. Otherwise we come in and a person basically has a panic attack because there are 15 cameras shining in their face,” he said.
