Republican vice presidential candidate and U.S. Senator JD Vance is facing online ridicule after an embarrassing gaffe during a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday.
Vance took the stage at the 2300 Arena to deliver a speech aimed at energizing MAGA supporters. However, the event quickly went south when a stage backdrop meant to read “KAMALA CHAOS” was partially obscured by rallygoers, leaving only the name “KAMALA” visible.
The stage setup error quickly went viral on social media, with critics seizing the opportunity to mock Vance. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) took a swipe at the gaffe on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Here’s why you should hire union stagehands and stage designers,” alongside an image of Vance in front of the misinterpreted sign.
Other users were quick to pile on. “Those people look extremely unhappy. Based on the sign, I guess they were expecting Kamala,” one user commented. Another pointed out, “First, he talked in front of ‘You’re fired’ signs in Atlanta. Now he’s speaking in front of a sign advertising his opponent.”
Even Fox News weighed in on the blunder. Host Jessica Taylor noted, “I saw JD Vance this morning in front of a huge Kamala sign where you couldn’t even read the ‘chaos.’ Everything is going really well for that side of the aisle.”
With Trump mainly off the road this week, Vance has been trailing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz , across the country and holding campaign events near their rallies , as Harris’ surge appears to have rattled the Trump camp.
Harris and Vance postponed planned events for Thursday across Georgia and North Carolina due to Tropical Storm Debby.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance mocked for 'Kamala chaos' stage gaffe in Philly rally
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