VP JD Vance Faces Backlash Over 9/11 'Celebrate' Blunder

Vice President JD Vance suffered an awkward blunder while speaking about the upcoming anniversary of the September 11 attacks during a campaign rally on Monday, August 31.

"We're about to celebrate the 25th year," Vance, 42, told a crowd in Sterling Heights, Michigan, before correcting himself to say "or commemorate the 25th year."

Clips of the gaffe quickly went viral on social media, where viewers called out Vance for not being more mindful during his nearly 30-minute speech.

"Words matter when you are in a position of authority @VP," one X user wrote. "We don't gather to 'celebrate 9/11' we gather to commemorate the lives lost on that day. It is a somber occasion of remembrance, reflection, and gratitude to the heroic people who gave their lives searching for survivors."

Another agreed, "There is nothing to 'celebrate' about 25 years since 9/11. My husband was murdered that day. We commemorate. We mourn. We remember. The Vice President should know the difference."

Several social media users argued that the Republican politician's comment would have gotten even more backlash had a Democrat made the same mistake.

"Imagine if Zohran Mamdani said this the outrage would be INSANE," one person wrote, referencing the mayor of New York City.

Another quipped, "If a democrat said they're going to celebrate 9/11 FoxNews would never shut up about it."

After his faux paus, Vance asked his fellow Americans to "celebrate all the brave heroes" who risked or sacrificed their lives to save others on September 11, 2001, and during the subsequent war on terror.

Vance is set to travel to Lower Manhattan next week to represent the White House at the World Trade Center site after President Donald Trump confirmed he will not return to his home state for the annual ceremony. Instead, Trump, 80, plans to appear at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, which was also struck by a hijacked plane on 9/11.

In addition to Vance, Rudy Giuliani and George W. Bush — who were the NYC mayor and U.S. president, respectively, during the attacks — are expected to attend the Ground Zero memorial this year. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are also on the guest list, according to The New York Times.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, while countless others suffered injuries and long-term health consequences. The man accused of plotting the attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, is currently scheduled to go on trial in June 2028. He was captured in 2003 and has been held at the U.S.'s Guantánamo Bay prison since 2006.