'I Just Felt Terrible': J.D. Vance Admits His Awkward Interaction With Georgia Donut Shop Employee Could Have Been Better

Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, acknowledged his team could have handled a recent photo op better after an awkward interaction with a donut shop employee in Georgia went viral.

During a Tuesday, August 27, interview with NBC News, Vance said, "I just felt terrible for that woman."

"We walked in, and there's 20 Secret Service agents, and there's 15 cameras, and she clearly had not been properly warned, and she was terrified, right?" he continued. "I just felt awful for her."

Vance also took a shot at Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign when discussing his viral interaction, claiming he wanted his public appearances to be 100 percent authentic.

"We don’t want to have these scripted events — I don’t want to go and do three takes of buying Doritos at a Sheetz," Vance explained. "I like to get out there and talk to people, and we want to make sure we’re doing it, but definitely make sure that people are at least OK with being on camera, or we’re going to walk in and you’re going to have a person who has, practically, a panic attack because she’s got 15 cameras in her face."

Accompanied by a group of reporters, Vance made a campaign stop at the shop and ordered two dozen donuts. However, the encounter took an unexpected turn when the employee was reluctant to appear on camera.

Vance promptly instructed the press to exclude her from their footage, indicating a desire to respect her privacy. However, things only worsened from there, as during the brief exchange, Vance awkwardly introduced himself, stating: "I'm J.D. Vance, I'm running for vice president."

The staffer didn't seem impressed, as she simply replied, "Okay" in a dull tone.

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With Georgia having a history of close election results, including Joe Biden's narrow victory in 2020 and Trump's win in 2016, every encounter in the state holds importance for candidates seeking support.

A recent YouGov poll conducted among 1,555 registered voters from August 25 to August 27 found that 49 percent of Georgia respondents viewed Vance unfavorably, compared to only 41 percent who viewed him favorably.