Vance’s Rally Quip After Epstein Files Protest Draws Criticism

Vice President JD Vance responded to a protester demanding the release of records related to Jeffrey Epstein with a quip about illegal border crossings at a rally in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on October 19. The protester was escorted out as people in the crowd chanted “USA.” The exchange drew criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office, while the protester’s identity and immigration status were not established in the reports. The interruption occurred as Vance addressed a Republican campaign rally. The protester stood up and called for the Epstein files to be released, also shouting, “God bless our children!” Security escorted him from the venue. As the crowd chanted, Vance said he had to amend an earlier statement that there had been zero illegal border crossings in the United States, adding, “But one isn’t bad, right?” The audience laughed and applauded, according to accounts of the event. Vance did not explicitly state that the protester was in the country illegally. Some critics interpreted his border-crossing joke as implying that; the available accounts do not verify the protester’s immigration status or political affiliation. After the removal,...