JD Vance breaks his silence on embarrassing viral donut shop video

Senator JD Vance of Ohio recounted the details of his embarrassing visit to a Georgia bakery last week that went viral, expressing sympathy for the camera-shy employee he encountered there.

“I just felt terrible for this woman,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News published Wednesday. “We went in and there were 20 Secret Service agents and 15 cameras. She obviously hadn’t been properly warned and was terrified, right? I just felt terrible for her.”

Vance stopped at Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta, Georgia, during a campaign tour last week. It was one of several stops he made in southern Georgia. Presidential candidates and their running mates often try to coordinate unannounced stops at local stores and restaurants during campaign tours. As Vance learned, things don’t always go smoothly when candidates venture beyond campaign events.

In footage of the visit, Vance attempted to introduce himself to staff while ordering various doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.

“The zoo has come to town. Thank you for letting us come here,” Vance said to the employee with a laugh as a group of reporters watched his every move.

The employee looks around nervously and quickly adds: “I don’t want to be on camera.” Vance asks the assembled press to avoid appearing if possible.

“I’m JD Vance, running for Vice President. Good to see you,” Vance said. The worker, clearly not thrilled with all the spectators, replied, “OK.”

Social media users on X had fun teasing Vance about the visit. C-SPAN’s short clip about his visit has been viewed over 4.2 million times on Elon Musk’s platform.

The Republican candidate for vice president said he enjoys going out and meeting Americans.

“We don’t want to have scripted events — I don’t want to do three takes on how to buy Doritos at Sheetz,” Vance told NBC, referring to Vice President Harris and Gov. Tim Walz’s recent visit to the famous Pennsylvania gas station chain. “I like to go out and talk to people, and we want to make sure we do that, but we definitely have to make sure that people are at least OK with being on camera, otherwise we’re going to come in and have one person who’s basically having a panic attack because there are 15 cameras shining in their face.”

Both Walz and second gentleman Doug Emhoff presented Harris with bags of Doritos, one of her favorite snacks, during her visit. Harris herself went viral after her campaign launched a fundraiser in which she said she coped with Donald Trump’s shocking 2016 election victory by eating “a family-size pack of Nacho Doritos.”

“I didn’t share a chip with anyone. Not even Doug,” Harris wrote in the email. “I just watched TV in utter shock and dismay.”

Before the press left the Georgia store, Vance chatted with some other employees and asked them how long they had worked at the bakery and when the store opened.

“When we chose this spot, I didn’t know if it had been here for 20 years or four – you never know, sometimes you just pass by,” Vance said.