Crowd Boos JD Vance During Trip to DC's Union Station

Onlookers could be heard shouting as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and top White House adviser Stephen Miller met with National Guard troops at Union Station in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

The Details: In an impromptu trip to DC’s train hub, Vance, Hegseth, and Miller treated National Guard members deployed in the city to Shake Shack burgers and spoke with reporters. “You guys bust you’re a** all day and we give you a hamburger. Not a fair trade, but we’re grateful for everything you do,” Vance told the troops. Some people yelled “Free DC,” while others booed. One man called Vance a “couch f*****, referring to a false claim on X alleging Vance revealed a romantic relationship with a sofa in his book ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ “So we’re going to ignore these stupid white hippies that all need to go home and take a nap because they’re all over 90 years old,” Miller told reporters.

For Context: President Donald Trump announced plans on August 11 to deploy National Guard troops to Washington, DC, to “stop violent crime.” Days after the announcement, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department was federalized, and an “emergency police commissioner” was named, while sanctuary policies in the city were also rescinded. The Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a probe to investigate alleged manipulation of DC crime stats showing violent crime at a 30-year low.

How The Media Covered It: The New Republic (Left bias) emphasized the couch comment in its headline, framing much of the coverage around the “jeering crowd”. The trio of officials “had to hear just how much Washington, D.C., hates them,” according to the article, saying “it was immediately clear that they were unwelcome there.” Daily Mail (Right) framed its article around statements from Trump administration officials dismissing the protestors. “MAGA chief shuts down left-wing heckler with brutal three-word reply,” the headline said, citing the reply in the article as “stupid white hippies.” Both the Republic and Daily Mail referenced a Washington Post-Schar School poll showing 69% of DC residents "strongly oppose" National Guard deployment in the city. Both outlets highlighted Vance saying it may be “the same poll that said Kamala Harris would win the popular vote by 10 points.” However, the Republic mentioned directly after that, “Vance then ended the question session, clearly irritated.”   

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