Vice President JD Vance was hit by an on-stage embarrassment Tuesday as he dialed President Donald Trump for a live chat in front of hundreds — and was sent to voicemail.
Trump's right-hand man was in Budapest for a rally for Hungary's autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orban — when he offered to put the president on speakerphone.
Appearing before a crowd at the Day of Friendship event at MTK Sportpark, Vance announced he had a surprise guest. "I actually had a special guest that asked that I give him a phone call," he said, dialing his phone.
"Let's see. Let's hope he actually answers, or this is going to be very embarrassing."
After several awkward seconds, an automated voice responded: "I'm sorry, the person you were trying to reach has a voicemail box that has not been set up yet."
Vance tried again. This time, after more uncomfortable silence, he finally connected with Trump. "Hello, Mr. President, how are you?" Vance asked. Trump began to respond with "Hi JD, could you give me a second? I'm just...uh," before apparently realizing the call was on speaker phone.
The audience erupted in laughter.
Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance were in Budapest to campaign for Orban ahead of Hungary's closely contested parliamentary election. The vice president's direct intervention in a foreign election has drawn criticism, with Orban's opponents characterizing it as foreign interference. Orban, a divisive European figure, faces accusations of democratic backsliding, media restrictions, and maintaining ties to Russia.
However, Trump offered only praise for his ally through Vance's phone.
"I'll tell you, he's a fantastic man. We've had a tremendous relationship, and he does a great job," Trump told the rally attendees. "He didn't allow people to storm your country and invade your country like other people have, and ruin their countries. He's kept your country good."
The phone mishap was not Vance's only awkward encounter with his mobile device that day. At an earlier press conference in Budapest, Vance was forced to check for urgent messages while fielding questions about Iran negotiations as Trump escalated threats against the nation across the Atlantic.
When asked by a Washington Post reporter whether a deal could be reached with Iran, Vance initially replied: "I don't—unless I have a text message from Steve Witkoff," referring to Trump's Middle East envoy. Reaching for his phone, he discovered he did have a message from Witkoff. "Wouldn't you like to know the subject of this message?" he added awkwardly.
His hesitation became clear moments later when a Reuters reporter interrupted to inform him that the United States was striking targets on Kharg Island—Iran's energy hub that handles approximately 90 percent of its crude oil exports—a development Vance appeared to be learning about in real time.