Vice President J.D. Vance said a group of pro-Ukraine protestors followed him and his young daughter while shouting at them.
“Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared,” Vance said.
“I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.),” he continued.
“It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s*** person,” he added.
Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of “Slava Ukraini” protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared.
I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 8, 2025
Full text:
Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of “Slava Ukraini” protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared.
I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.)
It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s*** person.
Per Independent:
But protesters say Vance’s account is a fabrication, and that they had spontaneously passed by the vice president on their way to a nearby protest.
A nearly three-minute video from the incident appears to show Vance surrounded by Secret Service while protesters ask him about Russia’s war in Ukraine and the withdrawal of U.S. support.
“We think it’s in the best interest of our [own people] and frankly in the best interest of the Ukrainians for the war to stop,” Vance says in a video shared with Ohio news outlet WCPO.
Vance also says Russia “certainly” invaded Ukraine in 2022, contracting President Donald Trump’s latest comments blaming Ukraine for the invasion.
Protesters tell him “people are dying” and the administration is “selling out” the people of Ukraine.
“With respect, ma’am, I disagree,” Vance says. “I think that what we’re doing is we’re actually forcing a diplomatic settlement.”
Vance posted about the incident on his X account, saying, “Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared.”https://t.co/mMWueRXyw1
— ABC 33/40 News (@abc3340) March 9, 2025
WCPO reports:
Diana Ewald, a Ukrainian native who’s lived in Cincinnati for 25 years and was a part of Saturday’s rally, told us she’s fighting for democracy.
“My whole family still lives in Ukraine,” she said. “I’m embarrassed as an American Ukrainian to see what’s happening in America and how we’re abandoning our allies.”
Organizers of the protest were also at the location Friday evening, and they plan to return Sunday afternoon as well.
WCPO previously reached out to Vance’s team to learn why the vice president was in Cincinnati this weekend, but we did not hear back.
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