JD Vance’s speech at a firefighters union convention got off to a rocky start Thursday—when he was greeted with boos.
The Ohio senator took the stage to address the International Association of Firefighers to a chorus of derision in Boston, then was jeered again when he claimed he was part of the “most pro-worker and union Republican ticket in history.”
Vance, 40, appeared to be taken aback by the boos after his introduction and tried to dismiss them.
“It sounds like we got some fans and some haters here,” he said. “That’s OK. Let’s listen to what I have to say here and I’ll make my pitch.”
Vance then sought to explain why he and Donald Trump should be worthy of the powerful union’s endorsement, despite Trump having suggested in an interview with Elon Musk on his X platform that striking workers should simply be fired.
The veep hopeful’s speech came a day after Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, spoke at the same convention with no reported jeers. Walz, an ex-teachers union member, reportedly promised to protect firefighter’s benefits and compensation and to ensure safe working conditions.
Vance claimed Thursday that he takes his kids to fire stations when they’re on trips to personally thank firefighters for their service. He also thanked the profession for what he described as the “second chance” it gave his mother after firefighters responded to their home quickly and helped save her life.
Just as when he took the stage, C-SPAN’s feed of the Vance’s outing showed that he exited the stage to a mixture of soft cheers and loud boos.
Trump and Vance have hoped to get powerful endorsements from unions with mixed results. Police unions, including Arizona’s, have offered their support, while the head of the Teamsters addressed the Republican National Convention. But at the Democratic national Convention, the influential head of the United Autoworkers, Shawn Fain, slammed Trump as a “scab” and offered a full-throated endorsement of Kamala Harris.
Vance has had his fair share of awkward moments on the campaign trail in recent weeks. Most notably was his cringey interaction with a donut shop worker in Valdosta, Georgia, who said she didn’t want to be on camera.
Yet, that clip—with her face blurred—still made its way online, where Vance became the butt of jokes for the awkward conversation he shared with the woman that included him ordering “whatever makes sense.”
Vance said later that he felt bad for the employee, who “clearly had not been properly warned.”
“She was terrified, right?” Vance told NBC News on Tuesday. “I just felt awful for her.”
