Vice President J.D. Vance found himself at the center of yet another tense exchange over U.S. policy on Ukraine—this time, not in a press conference or a diplomatic meeting, but while taking a simple walk with his three-year-old daughter.
On Saturday, a group of pro-Ukraine activists confronted Vance while he was out with his daughter, Mirabel, chanting “Slava Ukraini” and pressing him on U.S. support for Ukraine’s war effort.
In a post on X, Vance described how the protesters “followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared.”
Rather than ignoring them or escalating the situation, Vance did what few politicians would—he actually stopped and engaged with them. In a video captured by WCPO 9, he calmly responded to their concerns, acknowledging Russia’s 2022 invasion while explaining that the war must come to an end through diplomacy.
But for some of the protesters, a rational discussion wasn’t on the agenda. As Vance spoke, a woman began shouting over him. More joined in, accusing him of having “no integrity.”
At that point, Vance made one thing clear: “Ma’am, I am with my 3-year-old daughter now, and I told you, I would talk to you for five minutes.” He added that he hadn’t taken his child out for a walk “to have people run around and yell at her.”
Vance later explained in his X post that he had hoped engaging with them would get them to leave his family alone. But in his bluntest assessment of the situation, he added: “It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a shit person.”
This latest confrontation comes just over a week after Vance and President Donald Trump clashed publicly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28.
During that tense exchange, Vance called out Zelenskyy for his lack of gratitude toward the U.S. after receiving billions in aid. Trump went further, slamming Zelenskyy for his “disrespect” toward the American people. Vance followed up with a pointed question: “Have you said thank you once?”
