Vice President JD Vance’s Speech Disrupted by Flag-Waving Protester at Republican Midterm Convention

On September 10, 2026, Vice President JD Vance addressed the Republican National Committee’s midterm conference in Dallas. About halfway through his remarks, a man on the steps leading to the stadium seats raised a Mexican flag and, according to some attendees, also displayed a Palestinian Authority flag. Security removed the protester while Vance paused and responded directly to the interruption.

New York Post

The two-day convention, held at the American Airlines Center, gathered GOP officials, candidates, and supporters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Vance’s speech focused on “birthright” and criticism of perceived “racist” labeling of the party, themes that have been prominent in the party’s recent messaging.

JD Vance's passionate speech is interrupted by heckler waving foreign flag at Republican midterm convention... but vice president's stinging comeback sends the crowd wild

He offered to purchase a plane ticket for the protester to travel to Mexico, framing the incident as evidence of the party’s commitment to “the American dream.”

The Independent

Attendees reacted with boos, chants of “USA,” and shouted expletives toward the protester. Video footage captured the protester first pulling out the Mexican flag, then a Palestinian flag, and some supporters initially mistook the flag for a Palestinian one, prompting shouts of “F— Palestine.”

Newsweek

• Flag identification: Newsweek reported the protester held both a Mexican and a Palestinian Authority flag, whereas the Daily Mail described the protester first showing a Mexican flag and then a Palestinian flag, and the New York Post noted that some attendees initially thought the flag was Palestinian.

Newsweek

-, “get your ass over there” (New York Post), and “get your a** over there”. The core sentiment is consistent, but the exact profanity varies.

The Independent

• “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a-- over there. I'll buy you the plane ticket,” — News Vance, vice president

Newsweek

• “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there,” — News Vance, vice president

New York Post

• “I had a whole speech written, but I think I got to change it because we just discovered the symbol of the far left — an idiot waving a Mexican flag at a protest when he should be waving the flag of the United States of America.” — News Vance, vice president

The Independent

• “We all know, of course, that as much as that person may wave around a foreign flag, he’d much rather live in Dallas or in Cincinnati or in any one of our great cities than Mexico,” — News Vance, vice president

The Independent