Tim Walz and JD Vance confirm vice presidential debate in October
Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz will participate in a debate scheduled for October 1, hosted by CBS News.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is facing online criticism for his treatment of employees at a Georgia doughnut shop – the latest in a series of food-related mishaps.
In a clip captured by C-SPAN on Thursday, Vance visits Holt’s Sweet Shop and thanks the woman behind the counter for allowing him to visit. Shortly afterward, she tells him, “I don’t want to be filmed.”
Vance then turns to his entourage and says, “She doesn’t want to be filmed, guys, so just cut her out of everything.”
After looking at the donut display, he says, “I’m JD Vance, I’m running for Vice President, nice to see you.”
“OK,” is her only answer.
More: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp endorses Donald Trump, ending the dispute in light of increasing Democrats’ chances
Internet calls interaction unpleasant, tries to help
Vance then asks the employees at the store how long they have worked there and how long the store has been open.
When choosing the doughnuts, he suggested several flavors, saying, “Whatever makes sense.” The clip was widely shared on X, with users calling it “embarrassing” and “disgraceful.”
Some users, including comedian W. Kamau Bell, said Vance’s team should have organized a better visit.
“Fire your entire team. They obviously hate you. This is TV production 101 and they failed,” he wrote in a post on X.
Less than a month into his campaign for vice president, Vance has also gained notoriety for comments about Diet Mountain Dew and Swiss cheese at a Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich restaurant. USA TODAY has reached out to the Vance campaign for comment, but Holt’s Sweet Shop declined to comment.
Donut shop missteps in crucial swing state
Georgia is an important swing state and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned there during her short presidential campaign.
After Donald Trump had a lead of more than 5 percentage points in Georgia in 2016, he lost the state in 2020 by less than 12,000 votes, or a lead of 0.2 percent.
Harris’ national poll numbers have risen since she took the top spot on the Democratic ticket from President Joe Biden.
Harris trails Trump by 0.6 percent in Georgia as of Friday, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average, a smaller gap than on July 30, when she was trailing by 1.4 percent.