Secret Service explains why JD Vance’s weird Air Force Two stunt in Wisconsin wasn’t a security breach

The United States Secret Service says that a Wednesday publicity stunt by Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, involving Air Force Two did not violate security measures. The incident, which unfolded at a Wisconsin airport, garnered attention for what some called creepy and weird stalker behavior.

The situation began when Vance walked off former President Donald Trump’s campaign plane and headed straight toward Air Force Two. The two campaigns were holding dueling events in Eau Claire.

Vance, flanked by aides and Secret Service agents, sauntered to reporters assembled for the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz. Vance said he just wanted to see his “future plane.”

Vance did not get to see Harris or Walz, as the Democrats’ Harris’ motorcade drove off as the Republican ambled over.

A Secret Service spokesperson told The Advocate that Vance’s approach to the vice president’s airplane was not considered a security breach “without getting into specifics” about the agency’s methods. The spokesperson explained that Harris and Vance are both protected by the Secret Service and that the airport fell under the Secret Service’s jurisdiction for access to the tarmac. The spokesperson added that the people with Vance were part of his authorized staff.

Video footage showed a female agent from Harris’s detail walking towards Vance and his detail as they approached Air Force Two, appearing to wave them away. However, the Secret Service spokesperson clarified that the agent’s gesture was intended to signal that vehicles in the motorcade would be moving imminently, not to wave off Vance.

Vance’s actions, while generating a media buzz for the odd display, were ultimately deemed harmless within the established security protocols. On the tarmac, Vance told reporters he had a “bit of fun” trying to catch up with Harris. He also took a jab at her, criticizing the vice president for not holding an extended interview or press conference since starting her campaign. “I at least have enough respect for you all and for the American people to come and talk to you and answer questions,” Vance quipped before awkwardly walking away.

The clarification from the Secret Service comes at a time when the agency is under intense scrutiny. Last week, the acting director of the Secret Service expressed his shame for the agency’s failure to protect Trump from an assassination attempt in July. The Associated Press reported that Ronald Rowe Jr. testified on July 30 about the numerous security lapses and miscommunications that led to the near-fatal incident in Pennsylvania. Rowe said that he was ashamed of what he saw and could not defend why the roof used by the gunman was not better secured.

The Secret Service has significantly increased security measures in response to the assassination attempt on Trump. According toThe Independent, Secret Service snipers were deployed at the Harris-Walz rally in Eau Claire. It was the first major outdoor presidential campaign gathering since the Trump shooting incident in Butler.