J.D. Vance Warns Crowd of Air Force Graduates Not to Boo Him During Commencement Speech — As Veep Delivers Sharp Quip
J.D. Vance spoke as a commencement speaker at the Air Force Academy.
May 29 2026, Published 2:28 p.m. ET
Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at the Air Force Academy for the cadets' graduation as the commencement speaker.
He prepared for the event by watching other commencement speeches, RadarOnline.com can reveal, and noticed many boos coming from the audience. Hoping not to have the same fate, Vance told them it was against the rules, quipping: “Now, you can’t boo me. I’m the vice president of the United States."
JD Vance Claims He's Immune From Boos
Vance told the audience they weren't allowed to boo.
The audience gave him a laugh, but there was also an audible, deeper undercurrent of boos mixed into the audio.
However, the internet felt stronger, giving him a resounding thumbs down online, writing their own "boos." In fact, one person online even called the crowd's reaction "mild," pointing out the general dissatisfaction the public has with his leadership – which even Trump has noticed.
Another person said, "I like how he always stops talking after each attempt at a joke, expecting his next sentence to be drowned out by loud laughter, and you rarely hear anything or there’s like 4 people laughing like this clip."
Trolls Remember Past Boo-ing Incidents
He attended the 2026 Winter Olympics with his wife.
He was previously booed at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He appeared on the stadium's big screen at the event, waving an American flag alongside his wife. Audible boos spread through the international audience.
President Donald Trump, 79, was prompted by reporters for a response. He claimed, "Is that true? That's surprising because people like him ... I mean, he is in a foreign country in all fairness. He doesn't get booed in this country."
Vance Was Booed at the Kennedy Center
The vice president has been booed in the past.
Vance was notably also booed before events on American soil, including at a Kennedy Center Concert on March 13, 2025. As he took his seat, alongside wife Usha Vance, 40, the crowd erupted in boos and taunts, which the vice president attempted to ignore without addressing the crowd.
One person online said, "He's getting booed everywhere. If he showed up a more events – he'd get booed even more."
Another said, "There’s not a more unlikable person on the planet, and yes, I know Trump exists."
Vance Compared to Embarrassing Jeb Bush Moment
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J.D. Vance was compared to Jeb Bush's embarrassing crowd fail.
An individual on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, "This has weapons-grade 'Please clap' energy. Bro really just pulled the 'Do you know who I am?' card on the military."
They referenced a viral clip of Jeb Bush, 73, from his 2016 Republican primary election campaign. The phrase was used by the Republican during a rally in New Hampshire.
Jeb said, "I will not trash talk. I will not be a divider in chief or an agitator in chief. I won't be out there blow-harding, talking a big game without backing it up. I think the next president needs to be a lot quieter but send a signal that we're prepared to act in the national security interests of this country — to get back in the business of creating a more peaceful world."
The silence that followed resulted in Jeb begging for some hype and telling his audience, "Please clap."
