Vice President JD Vance found himself on the receiving end of online snark this week after a Fox News anchor implied that one of his public speeches, meant to energize Republicans ahead of the midterm elections this fall, wasn’t especially newsworthy.
Vance visited Greensboro, North Carolina, on Monday to campaign for GOP Senate nominee Michael Whatley, who many polls suggest is trailing his Democratic opponent, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The race between Whatley and Cooper has been cited by many Republicans as especially critical as it could impact the GOP’s slim majority in the Senate.
Though Fox News aired the start of Vance’s roughly 30-minute speech in praise of Whatley live, it broke away from the vice president’s remarks after about eight minutes, according to reports.
Such shifts in coverage are, of course, standard practice in modern broadcasting. However, many viewers found unintended humor in anchor Sandra Smith’s brief on-air comment on her network’s decision to pull the plug on Vance.
“Alright, you have been listening to Vice President Vance talking to voters ahead of the midterms in battleground North Carolina,” she said. “He’s in Greensboro this afternoon. We will bring you right back to this rally if he starts to make news.”
As of Tuesday, an isolated clip showing Smith’s remark alongside a snippet of Vance’s rally appearance had gone viral online and drawn an array of stinging responses.
“‘Make news’ – first he’d have to say something Trump hasn’t already said 900 times,” one person wrote on X.
Added another: “The world really must be ending wow.”
Others, meanwhile, suggested Fox News’ editorial judgment was being impacted by President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, announced last week.
“On SOME level, they must recognize the attack on journalism and this is how they are fighting back,” one person wrote in part. “I’ve never seen the president or vice president basically get the ‘yeah whatever’ treatment and cut off. Fox news did that. FOX.”
As of Tuesday, Vance had yet to respond publicly to the discourse. Whether he succeeded in his mission to invigorate Tar Heel State voters, however, remains questionable.
According to WFDD, a local NPR affiliate, the rally drew about 300 people to the Koury Convention Center, a venue with a capacity of 3,000. On Tuesday, the Daily Beast published a round-up of photos showing packs of seemingly unenthused attendees glancing at their phones during Vance’s speech.