US Vice President JD Vance hit back at a protester who interrupted his speech while waving Mexican and Palestinian flags during the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday night.

The incident took place as Vance was delivering his primetime keynote address at the American Airlines Center in front of thousands of Republican voters. The protester emerged from the crowd, waving the Mexican flag and shouting at the Vice President.

Vance later described the incident while continuing his speech, telling viewers at home what they had missed. “What the people at home missed is that we just had a protester interrupting us and waving the Mexican flag,” Vance said.

???? HOLY CRAP! JD Vance just MIC DROPPED a leftist heckler who interrupted him waving a Mexican flag…this place is DEAFENING

“We just had a protestor interrupt us with the Mexican flag.”

“Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, GET YOUR ASS OVER THERE, I’LL BUY YOU THE… pic.twitter.com/vX4LDWQh5i

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 11, 2026

He then directly addressed the protester and made a sharp remark about his support for Mexico. “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a– over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket,” Vance said.

His comment was met with loud cheers and hooting from the crowd. As the protester was escorted out of the venue, the audience broke into chants of “USA! USA! USA!”

The protest came as Vance was speaking about what he called the “birthright” of American citizens. He said Republicans were working to protect the opportunities available to Americans and future generations. He also spoke at length about the importance of the nuclear family and criticised Democrats during his address.

“I think about what the Democrats have said about our shared birthright as Americans, or frankly, the lack thereof in Michigan,” Vance said. He added such remarks did not come from a “love of country” or a desire to serve Americans, reported Fox News.

Before the protest, Vance had spoken about issues including family, education, jobs and public safety. He also compared Republican policies with those of the Democrats and praised the Trump administration for its policies on immigration.