Well that’s confusing.
J.D. Vance delivered a rally speech Tuesday in Pennsylvania with a backdrop that made it appear he was campaigning for his arch nemesis, Kamala Harris.
The unfortunate signage appeared to stem from the event’s advance team not accounting for its crowd blocking half of a gigantic poster that sat directly behind Vance, which appeared to read in full, “KAMALA CHAOS.”
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For those watching on Fox News and other broadcasts, however, the only words clearly visible—in white text on a blue background, in all caps—was simply “Kamala.”
The apparent gaffe quickly went viral on X, where many joked that Harris’ VP choice in Tim Walz, which was announced just prior to Vance’s rally speech, had convinced Trump’s running mate to switch teams.
While the backdrop may have been confusing to someone watching Vance’s speech on mute, the Ohio Senator made clear in his statements that he’s still no fan of the vice president he once suggested was a “childless cat lady.”
“Kamala Harris has been such a disastrous vice president of this country that everywhere she goes, chaos and uncertainty follow,” he said, leaning into what his backdrop’s full text read.
It appears the Trump campaign may be attempting to link Harris to the word “chaos” in the same way Democrats, starting with Walz himself, began characterizing Trump, Vance, and the MAGA movement as “weird.”
WHYY, a local NPR station in Philadelphia, reported that Vance’s rally had about 200 attendees, which included local Republican leadership from around Philadelphia. Fox 29 reported that Vance said he “genuinely” feels bad for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after he didn’t get the VP nod, claiming he distanced himself from his Jewish faith in recent weeks.
“I genuinely feel bad that for days—maybe even weeks—the guy actually had to run away from his Jewish heritage,” Vance said. “I think that’s scandalous and disgraceful.”
Vance’s rally turnout is expected to be much less than a later event by Harris and Walz, which is expected to have an estimated 10,000 in attendance in the same city, campaign officials said. Videos from outside the rally showed hundreds of supporters standing in line hours before it’s set to begin at 5:30 p.m. local time.
