Cheers as jailed JD Vance heckler said to have ‘just ended JD's presidential ambitions’

Vice President JD Vance's rally ended with a Democratic candidate behind bars Friday, but the heckler quickly became a hero to countless onlookers after video of the confrontation went viral.

“Thank you so much, Vice President Vance, for the gas prices!” shouted Ben Braver, a Democratic candidate for the Florida House, during a GOP rally in Lakeland, Florida on Friday.

“Thank you for helping us win in Iran! Thank you, President Trump! Thank you so much, JD, you are such a good vice president, you pedophile protector! I’m excited for the $5,000 check, I’m so excited!”

In the video, rally attendees can be seen angrily shouting down Braver as he was escorted out of the event. The video also shows Braver being forcibly thrown to the pavement by what appears to be a law enforcement officer. The Florida Times-Union reported that Braver was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest without violence.

“Holy heck, this man just ended JD's presidential ambitions in 3 sentences,” reads a statement from AllChronology Media Group, an independent digital media company, published on social media.

Australian academic and writer Peter Cook argued that Braver “deserves a medal” for his outburst, while others took issue with how the political candidate was treated by security.

Vem Miller, a media producer who’s claimed to be a “caucus captain” for President Donald Trump — and was also arrested and charged for bringing loaded firearms to a Trump rally, though the charges were later dropped — argued that “tackling a dude for speech is never a good look.”

U.S. Marine Corps veteran and advocate Carl Wheless also took issue with how Braver was treated by law enforcement.

“That was straight-up bull----. The man was exercising his right to free speech. He was not resisting and was complying with law enforcement,” Wheless wrote Saturday in a social media post on X.

“There was absolutely no reason that I could see to slam him to the ground and place him in handcuffs. I hope he sues whichever law enforcement agencies that officer works for, and the organizers of the event if that officer was off-duty and working as private security.”