Vice President JD Vance joined a crowd’s taunting chant about New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during a midterm campaign rally in Rome, New York. He initially tried to distance himself from the remark before repeating it with a grin. The moment came during a campaign stop for Republican candidate Anthony Constantino.
What JD Vance said after the crowd began chanting in New York
The exchange began when rally attendees started shouting, “Ditch the witch,” while JD Vance addressed the crowd. Rather than shutting down the chant, the vice president acknowledged it, telling the audience he did not endorse the words but wanted television viewers to know what people were saying.
He then called it a “proper and appropriate Halloween message” and repeated the phrase, prompting cheers from the crowd. “I’m not necessarily endorsing it. I wouldn’t want anybody to think that I would necessarily say that, but ditch the witch,” Vance said (via The Daily Beast).
The rally took place Monday in Rome, where Vance was campaigning for Constantino. The Republican candidate previously drew attention for giving President Donald Trump a bronze statue. The district backed Republicans by nearly 21 percentage points less than two years ago.
Vance’s comments also revive questions about his appeal among women voters. During the 2024 election cycle, he faced widespread criticism after earlier remarks describing Democrats as “childless cat ladies” resurfaced. He said to Fox News that these women are “miserable at their own lives” because of the decisions they had made, so they wanted to make everyone else in the country just as “miserable.”
Vance defended his remarks after Trump selected him as his running mate, brushing off the controversy by calling his comments sarcastic. He later tried to clear the air, insisting, “I have nothing against cats.” However, he continued to take aim at Democrats, accusing them of being “anti-family.” During an appearance on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM show, Vance argued that critics were getting hung up on his sarcastic delivery rather than “what I actually said.”
