'What on Earth?' Internet confused by J.D. Vance's quip that Mountain Dew makes him racist

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), the newly-minted running mate for former President Donald Trump, made a bizarre remark at a rally in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, on Monday, suggesting that Democrats will probably call him racist over his choice of soft drinks.

"I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today. I'm sure they’re gonna call that racist. It’s good," said Vance in a clip flagged by the pro-Kamala Harris account Kamala HQ, which noted that the comment was met with "awkward laughing."

Vance, who previously caused controversy for implying that illegal immigration caused his mother's drug addiction when she actually stole drugs from patients using her position as a nurse, was speaking facetiously to try to argue that Democrats will find an excuse to call anything racist. But his comments were such a non-sequitur that it left many observers on social media scratching their heads.

"What on Earth?" wrote the account @raderje. "Mt. Dew is basically the state beverage of Minnesota. Are magas trying to add beverage choice to their culture war now?"

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"When your hatchet man can't hatchet," wrote the account @weisselbergers.

"And they try to make fun of Kamala's laugh?" wrote the account @ArtCandee.

"Calling Mountain Dew 'good' shows his bad taste," wrote the account @Dustin_Cone.

"Please clap," wrote the account @InsideP2025 — a reference to an infamous moment when former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), running for president in 2016, told the audience, "Please clap" after not receiving the applause he expected from an important line in his speech.

"Makes sense why he declined to debate with [Vice President Kamala] Harris," wrote the account @beyzhive.

"His backers are gonna want a refund," wrote the account @ManiamAkash.

"Oh God....quit while you are behind," wrote the account @TheRKPodcast.

"He is so pathetic and boring," wrote the account @ML3democrats.

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