PoliticsJ.D. Vance Rally Photos Show Bored Attendees as Fox News Cuts Away Early
J.D. Vance campaigned for Senate candidate Michael Whatley at a rally.
Sept. 27 2026, Published 1:05 p.m. ET
Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to North Carolina to energize support for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, but images from the event captured a markedly quieter scene.
Photographs from the September 21 rally at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro appeared to show some attendees falling asleep while others scrolled on their phones during Vance’s remarks.
The television coverage delivered another awkward moment when Fox News abandoned its live feed eight minutes into the nearly 30-minute speech.
A Crowd of About 300
The event drew an estimated 300 people at the North Carolina venue.
The Koury Convention Center can accommodate approximately 3,000 people. WFDD, the local NPR affiliate, estimated that roughly 300 attended the rally.
Photos showed scattered attendees during J.D. Vance’s remarks at the Koury Convention Center.
Photos showed scattered groups of people seated inside the large ballroom, including audience members looking downward, checking devices or apparently closing their eyes. While individual images represent isolated moments, they quickly became the defining visuals from Vance’s appearance.
Vance was campaigning for Whatley as Republicans seek to retain the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis.
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Vance Raises the Stakes
J.D. Vance criticized Democratic candidates as radicals during the campaign rally.
Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman, is running against former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. A Carolina Journal poll placed Cooper 15 points ahead.
Vance used his speech to portray Democratic candidates as a threat to the country.
“The old establishment was giving way to far-left activists,” he said.
“These were not normal politicians,” he added. “These were radicals who are hellbent on ripping this country up from its very foundations.”
Fox News Cuts Away
Fox News ended its live coverage of J.D. Vance’s speech after several minutes.
Fox News initially carried the rally live during America Reports but ended the feed shortly after 1 p.m.
“This November, the Democrat Party is running candidates for Congress who...” Vance was saying when the network muted the speech.
“You have been listening to Vice President Vance talking to voters ahead of the midterms,” co-anchor Sandra Smith told viewers before shifting to coverage of the United Nations General Assembly.
Vance continued speaking for more than 20 minutes, but Fox did not return to the rally.
“We will bring you right back to this rally,” Smith said, “if he starts to make news.”
