‘I Love You Guys…’ JD Vance Bombs Hard With ‘Racist’ Mountain Dew Joke During First Stand Alone Rally

Alex GriffingJul 22nd, 2024, 5:20 pm
 
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Mich

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) went viral on Monday after a joke about “racist” Mountain Dew bombed during his first stand-alone rally after accepting the nomination as Donald Trump’s running mate.

Vance spoke to a very friendly crowd in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, but still wasn’t able to make all his jokes land.

“It is the weirdest thing to me, Democrats say that it is racist to believe. Well, they say it’s racist to do anything. I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today. I’m sure they’re going to call that racist too,” Vance quipped to a very light smattering of laughter.

“It’s good,” he insisted, getting a bit more laughter from the crowd.

“I love you guys,” Vance added to near silence as one or two people could be heard clapping.

The Bulwark’s Sonny Bunch shared the clip and joked, “goddamn he was three seconds away from a ‘please clap’” – referring to Jeb Bush’s much-maligned campaign trail moment. “Vance’s stump has got a nice Jeb Bush quality to it. And I mean that in the worst way possible. The lone, singular clap at the end is just…” added Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) joined in on roasting Vance online, writing, “This is sort of awesome cringe: no one laughs, so JD Vance laughs at his own joke about Diet Mountain Dew. Also remember MAGA freaking out over Bud Light? What’s the deal with MAGA’s weird focus on carbonated drinks?”

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Alex Griffing - Senior Editor

Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing