Vance mocks heckler’s dirty hair before declaring people like him vote Democrat

SHARONVILLE, OHIO: US Vice President JD Vance mocked a heckler's appearance at an Ohio rally on Wednesday, October 21, after the man interrupted his speech while wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat.

The protester shouted at Vance before security escorted him out, prompting the vice president to question whether he was genuinely a Trump supporter.

Vance then made a joke about the man's hair, linking his appearance to Democratic voters as the crowd reacted to his jibe.

Vance trolls Ohio heckler

The disruption unfolded soon after JD Vance began speaking at an Ohio event, when a man in a suit and MAGA cap started shouting from behind the vice president.

The protester then pulled off his cap and tossed it to the ground, drawing boos from the audience before security moved in to escort him out.

The crowd responded to the removal with chants of “USA! USA! USA!” as Vance continued with his remarks.

“That guy, he was trying to pretend to be MAGA,” the vice president said.

Vance returned to the moment the man discarded his red cap, suggesting the gesture had exposed his true intentions.

“Do you notice how he took off his Make America Great Again hat and throw it down? Here's the problem, ladies and gentlemen. He told on himself,” Vance said.

He then shifted from the man’s political gesture to his appearance, claiming the protester’s hair suggested he had gone months without washing it.

“Because when he took that hat off, it was very obvious that he has not washed his hair in about three months,” Vance said.

“And we all know that the people who haven't washed their hair in three months, they vote for Democrats, not for Republicans!” he added.

Vance defends Ramaswamy's ad

Vance also threw his weight behind Vivek Ramaswamy amid a dispute over the Ohio Republican’s campaign tactics in the governor’s race.

Ramaswamy’s television ad, which featured Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother accusing her of lying about her past, had drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. The ad disputed Acton’s account of her childhood, including allegations of abuse and periods of homelessness.

Speaking at the Ohio rally, Vance challenged Republicans who had focused on the advertisement’s wording, arguing that debate over its messaging should not overshadow the issues being raised.

“Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar,” Vance said.

He urged critics to look beyond the campaign spot itself, adding, “Whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts.”

Vance had expressed similar frustration earlier Wednesday during remarks to reporters in Ohio, where he criticised Republicans who had condemned the ad while, in his view, paying insufficient attention to Democratic policies.

“I have to admit that I'm a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” he said.