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JD Vance has admitted that the Trump campaign screwed up an awkward visit to a donut shop in Valdosta, Georgia last week.
As the assembled media looked on, Vance struggled to make small talk while buying baked goods, with one of the employees asking to be kept off-camera. The moment has since gone viral.
“I just felt terrible for that woman,” Vance told NBC News on Tuesday.
“We walked in, and there’s 20 Secret Service agents, and there’s 15 cameras, and she clearly had not been properly warned, and she was terrified, right? I just felt awful for her,” he added.
Former president Donald Trump’s running mate said he enjoys casually speaking to voters but noted that he had told his staff that visits to various establishments have to be better planned going forward.
“We don’t have these scripted events — I don’t want to go and do three takes of buying Doritos at a Sheetz,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said in reference to a recent stop by Vice President Kamala Harris at a gas station in Pennsylvania.
“I like to get out there and talk to people, and we want to make sure we’re doing it, but definitely make sure that people are at least okay with being on camera, or we’re going to walk in and you’re going to have a person who has, practically, a panic attack because she’s got 15 cameras in her face,” he said.
The visit in Valdosta took place on Thursday where he introduced himself to one staff member, who responded that she didn’t want to be filmed.
“I’m JD Vance. I’m running for vice president,” the Trump running mate said.
“Okay,” the shop worker responded.
“We’re gonna do two dozen. Just a random assortment of stuff here,” Vance continued as he browsed the available goods.
“Everything. A lot of glazed here. Sprinkle stuff. A lot of cinnamon rolls. Just whatever makes sense,” he added.
Vance struggled to make small talk as the employee filled up his box, asking how long they had been working there and how long the place had been in business.
“About four years? Okay,” Vance told the employee. “Well, we selected this place. I didn’t know if it had been here for 20 years or four years. You never know.”
The clip of Vance came as he was trying to move on from being called “weird” by Democrats.
