J.D. Vance doubled down on his poorly received joke about Diet Mountain Dew by toasting with a bottle of the fizzy drink Thursday during a trip to the southern border.
“This is the good stuff here. High caffeine, low calorie,” said Donald Trump’s running mate before guzzling the soda on camera.
Last month, Vance’s remark that Democrats found everything racist, including him enjoying the popular soft drink, was met with blank stares and a few awkward laughs at his first campaign rally after being chosen as the GOP vice presidential pick in Middletown, Ohio.
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“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,” the Ohio senator quipped.
There was no mention of racism as Vance toasted with Newsmax host Bianca de la Garza on Thursday, but the “bit” appeared to reference the Ohio senator’s love of Diet Mountain Dew.
Vance was discussing his mother’s battle with addiction and the dangers of the opioid fentanyl being smuggled across the border from Mexico.
Adding that his mother has been “clean and sober for almost 10 years,” he said: “There are millions of Americans who could have a second chance with their loved ones if we make smarter decisions, and I know what it feels like when we make dumb decisions and people suffer.”
A member of the TV crew handed Vance and the Newsmax interviewer bottles of soda and Vance asked: “Should we toast here?”
Vance then touched bottles with de la Garza and laughed as he took a glug.
After Vance’s rally comments about the drink last week, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, ended up apologizing to Diet Mountain Dew for a dig he aimed at the GOP VP nominee.
He had told CNN: “What was weird was, him joking about racism today, and then talking about Diet Mountain Dew—who drinks Diet Mountain Dew?”
At a press conference later, Beshear pulled out a bottle of the soft drink and said he didn’t mean to be insulting. “So if you enjoy Diet Mountain Dew, you be you, we want to support you. And to Diet Mountain Dew, very sorry, didn’t mean to say negative things about you.”
