Republican vice presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, received a warm reception at the Park Diner in Waite Park, Minnesota, on Sunday morning. The visit followed his viral speech at a rally with former President Donald Trump in St. Cloud the previous night. Vance's comments targeted presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for questioning his loyalty to the country.
"Kamala Harris questioned my loyalty to America. I enlisted in the Marines for this country. I went to Iraq for this country. I built a business for this country. And my running mate took a bullet for this country. What the hell has Kamala done to question our loyalty to America?" Vance stated in his speech, which quickly garnered over seven million views online.
The event at the diner attracted about one hundred supporters who gathered outside as Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha and their two children, made a campaign stop there. Inside, the diner was filled with supporters, many of whom had attended the rally the night before.
During his visit, Vance spoke with diners and met with a co-owner and a state GOP donor while his children enjoyed chocolate milk at the counter. He left a $200 cash tip with "No Tax on Tips" written above his signature on the receipt.
Photos from the event were shared by senior Trump advisor Jason Miller on social media.
Minnesota is seen as a potential target for Trump's campaign after narrowly missing victory in 2016 and losing by a larger margin in 2020.
Voters expressed positive impressions of Vance during his visit to Park Diner. Ken Cruze from Sartell commented, "I’m very impressed. It’s good to see a young person with good values, good morals, good common sense." Joyce Heffron from Little Falls appreciated seeing Vance's family accompany him and noted the energy surrounding their campaign could potentially turn Minnesota red this fall.
Democrats have been critical of Vance's nomination as Trump's running mate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized him publicly: "JD Vance was an incredibly bad choice for VP."
Despite these criticisms, support for Vance appears to be increasing among Trump's base according to recent polling data from Morning Consult showing that "66% of Trump’s 2020 voters hold favorable opinions of JD Vance, up from 38% before his vice presidential selection."
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