Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance seemingly thought he would get a nice on-camera moment Thursday when he visited a donut shop in Georgia, but the entire thing was incredibly awkward.
After a worker at Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta asked to not be filmed, the Ohio senator introduced himself.
“I’m JD Vance. I’m running for vice president. Good to see you,” Vance said.
“OK,” the worker responded.
Vance then attempted to make small talk with the shop’s employees, asking how long they’ve worked there. When they answered “since the beginning of July” and “almost two years,” Vance responded, “OK, good.”
Then he picked the donuts he wanted, including “a lot of glazed” and “some sprinkle stuff,” as well as cinnamon rolls.
“Just whatever makes sense,” he said.
He also asked someone at the shop, “How long has this place been around?”
When the person told him four years, Vance said, “OK.”
Social media users commented on the cringey moment, calling Vance “weird” and suggesting that he’s “completely incapable of having a normal connection with another human being.”
This isn’t Vance’s first blunder in what should be a regular interaction. Earlier this month, a reporter in Michigan told Vance that he is sometimes seen as being “too serious” and “a little angry,” and asked what makes him happy and what makes him smile. Instead of giving a measured response, Vance ripped into the journalist.
“I smile at a lot of things, including bogus questions from the media, man,” he said. “If you watch a full speech that I give, I actually am having a good time out here and I’m enjoying this.”