Vance's speech at US Republicans' convention interrupted by protester waving Mexican flag

Vice President JD Vance was interrupted during his keynote address at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas on Thursday night by a protester waving a Mexican flag.

"Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there. I'll buy you the plane ticket," responded Vance.

The interruption came as the vice president was talking about birthright citizenship, which President Donald Trump has sought to restrict, with Vance arguing that the Republican party is fighting to preserve opportunities for future generations.

When he returned to the White House in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order that would limit birthright citizenship to children with parents who are either American citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States. The Supreme Court ruled this June that the order was unconstitutional, but Trump soon issued new executive orders on the same subject.

During the first two years of Trump's second term, Vance and Trump have pursued the party's pledge of mass deportation of undocumented migrants, drawing nationwide protests from immigrant advocacy groups and many members of the public.

After a pause in his speech, Vance said "we just discovered the symbol of the far left," which is an "idiot" waving a Mexican flag "when he should be waving the flag of the United States of America." The protester also held up a flag of the Palestinian Authority, according to media reports.

Vance praised the Trump administration’s immigration policy, and after the protester was escorted out, told the crowd that while the demonstrator waved a foreign flag, Republicans would continue "to wave the American flag and fight for the American dream."

He added: “We have to remind ourselves tonight that the good life that is the foundation of this country's promise is not guaranteed. We have to remember that a safe home, a good school, a happy family, a future that is better than the past, every generation of Americans has had to fight for these things when it's our turn."