SHARONVILLE, OH — Vice President JD Vance's visit to Cincinnati included campaigning, discussions of fraud in food assistance and a stop at the Bengals practice field.
In front of a crowd of hundreds holding red and blue signs that said “restoring common sense” and “defend our future,” Vance railed against Ohio Democratic candidates and praised Republicans at the Sharonville Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
The crowd repeatedly broke out in chants of "USA! USA!"
Here's what to know about Vance's visit.
Vance reminisced about Middletown cashier job and talked SNAP fraud
Vance's first stop in Cincinnati was to the FBI field office in Sycamore Township where he was joined by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Blanche said the federal government has uncovered $42 million of SNAP fraud since officials started
looking more intensely on Sept. 1. The program provides money for food to low-income families.
Vance recalled his time working as a cashier for his first job at Middletown's Dillman Foods and said that SNAP exists to "help hungry children eat," not as a fund for people to steal from.
Vance praises Conroy, ribs him for beer pouring technique
Vance referred to Eric Conroy, a Republican running against Cincinnati Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman to represent Ohio's 1st Congressional District, as an amazing guy but said he should work on how he pours beers.
Vance and Conroy served beer together at Price Hill Chili after speeches at a Middletown steel plant in August.
"I have to say, Eric, you made me look pretty good because I think the vice president was better at pouring beers," Vance said.
Vance defends controversial Ramaswamy campaign ad
Vance spoke at length defending a controversial ad from Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and criticizing his Democratic opponent Amy Acton.
The ad featured Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, calling Acton a liar. Acton said she has not seen her mother since 1978 when Acton faced her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, in court. Cledith Arthur was charged with rape for sexually assaulting Acton when she was 12 years old.
Vance said he's watched Democrats throw "every dirty trick in the political book" at Ramaswamy while Ramaswamy "stood tall" and talked about what he wants to accomplish for the people of Ohio.
An Enquirer review of Ramaswamy's most recent ten posts on X found that six of them were critical of Acton rather than describing what Ramaswamy hopes to accomplish.
"Now the media and the Democrats in the state of Ohio are obsessed because guess what? Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar," Vance said.
Vance also criticized Acton for not doing much public service. Acton served as director of the Ohio Department of Health in 2019 and 2020, under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Ramaswamy has never held public office.
Protester interrupts rally
Around six minutes into Vance's speech, a protester sitting in the stands started yelling and interrupted the vice president. Sharonville police and security quickly removed the protester from the room.
As the protester started yelling, he whipped off his "Make America Great Again" red hat. The crowd booed and chanted "USA" as police escorted him out.
"When he took his hat off, it was very obvious he hasn't washed his hair in three months," Vance joked after he was removed from the room. "And we all know that the people who haven't washed their hair in three months, they vote for Democrats, not for Republicans."
Two protesters were removed from Trump's rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on Oct. 17.
Vance lauded Sen. Jon Husted but did not opine on his backside
Vance shouted out Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who is running for reelection against Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
"What could I possibly say about Jon Husted that Donald J. Trump has not already said? Don't worry, I'm not talking about Jon Husted's ass," Vance said, referring to earlier comments from President Donald Trump.
Vance stops by Bengals practice
Vance ended his rally and headed to the field outside Paycor Stadium to watch the Cincinnati Bengals practice.
He toured the locker room, shook the hand of head coach Zac Taylor and wished the team "good luck."
Vance has previously talked about being a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Enquirer reporters Matthew Cuppelli and Kelsey Conway contributed.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: In campaign visit, Vance defends controversial ad, visits Bengals
