Vice presidential candidate JD Vance made an awkward appearance at a Georgia donut shop on Thursday.
Vance, 40, stepped into Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta to order some candy for his campaign team ahead of a speech he was scheduled to deliver in the decisive state.
But the seemingly unplanned visit quickly turned awkward, as the woman behind the counter asked not to be photographed.
The Ohio senator then urged the press to remove her from their videos, after which he introduced himself to the employee.
“I’m JD Vance and I’m running for vice president,” he said with a grin on his face.
Vice presidential candidate JD Vance, 40, made an awkward appearance at Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta, Georgia on Thursday
He introduced himself to an employee, who simply replied, “Okay.”
The woman simply replied, “Okay.”
Vance then asked the woman and another employee who came into view a series of questions about the company, including how long they had worked there.
Both employees gave him only curt answers as the woman attempted to put together his order from a “random collection” of two dozen donuts.
“There’s a lot of icing on it, some sprinkles, some cinnamon rolls,” Vance points out.
After receiving several boxes of pastries, Vance and his entourage went to the police outside the Lowndes County sheriff’s office, where he was briefed on the illegal drug and gun problems in the community. WCTV reports.
From there, Vance traveled to his rally, where he criticized Democrats on issues surrounding illegal immigration and border security.
Vance ended up ordering a “random collection” of two dozen donuts
He was seen carrying the boxes of pastries as he left the candy store on his way to a meeting
He accused Vice President Kamala Harris of fueling the country’s drug problem and lax border enforcement.
“Once Kamala Harris is removed from office, we will no longer be open to doing business with illegal immigrants or the Mexican drug cartels,” Vance told the crowd.
“That is our solemn promise to the American people, and we mean it very seriously.”
Vance delivered his speech as his running mate, former President Donald Trump, campaigned on the border in Arizona.
The two are traveling the country, making immigration issues a top priority of their campaign. They blame Harris for the rise in illegal immigration. They both call him a “failed border czar” who is lax on crime.
Republicans are apparently hoping their message resonates with voters in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. Recent polls show Harris and her vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz, nearly closing in on Trump.
Vance and former President Donald Trump are crisscrossing the country, making immigration issues a top priority of their campaign
But their campaign efforts come amid a fiery Democratic National Convention, where Walz railed against his Republican opponents on Wednesday night.
He spoke about growing up in a small town in Nebraska and joked that none of the 24 students in his class had gone to Yale, a clear dig at his opponent, Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance.
“I’ll tell you one thing: When you grow up in a small town like this, you learn how to take care of each other,” Walz said in his impassioned speech.
“That family over there, they may not think like you, they may not pray like you, they may not love each other like you, but they are neighbors.”
He went on to say, “Some people just don’t understand what it takes to be a good neighbor,” and said his students, who have been elected student body president, could learn “a lot” from Donald Trump as a teacher.
“Leaders don’t stand around all day insulting people and blaming others. Leaders do the work,” Walz said. “So I don’t know about you, I’m ready to turn the page on these guys, so go ahead, say it with me, we’re not going back.”
He called their agenda “absolutely strange” but also warned that it is “dangerous.”
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to accept the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night.