Vice President JD Vancedrew anawkward silenceat a packed Des Moines rally on 5 May 2026 after losing his place in his speech and asking Rep. Zach Nunn to remind him of his own Democratic opponent's name.
Vance made his first visit to Iowa as vice president for an event at Ex-Guard Industries, a manufacturing facility that produces grille guards for pickup and semi-trucks, in amidterm pushto secure Nunn's competitive seat in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.
The rally, officially billed as a White House address to American workers, drew several hundred supportersaccording to NBC News, with long queues forming well before doors opened at 2:30 PM. Vance used the platform to make the case for Trump-era trade and agriculture policy, though his delivery stumbled in full view of the crowd in a moment that quickly circulated on social media.
The most-discussed moment of the evening came as Vance was mid-sentence, describing administration efforts to expand year-round E15 ethanol sales, when he stopped and stared blankly at his notes. He had been working up to name Sarah Trone Garriott, the Iowa state senator and Nunn's expected Democratic challenger in November, but could not locate her in his prepared remarks.
'Zach, you're going to have to help me out with her name,' Vance said from the stage, according toRaw Story. 'I lost my page.' An awkward silence fell over the crowd before he added: 'Ok. Alright,' as he shuffled through his papers.
Vance is confused as he reads off his speech:What is uhh.. this... What is uhhh.... Zach, you're gonna have to help me out with her name here. I lost my page here. Okay, alright. Okay there we go. Sarah Trone Garriott. I- I- I'm- I'm- I'm on the wrong page herepic.twitter.com/RKmnWYTGF2
The moment was recorded and widely shared, with a clip embedded in Raw Story's report and flagged on social media. Vance had also spoken moments earlier about farmers facing high fertiliser costs and framed those pressures in part around theongoing Iran conflict, saying the administration would 'take care of some business on the foreign policy side' while simultaneously working with Nunn to address supply issues.
Neither Nunn nor Garriott faces a primary challenger ahead of the 2 June primary. Iowa Capital Dispatchreportedthat the name Vance was reaching for Garriott is, by his own party's acknowledgement, someone worth naming in the first place: her race against Nunn is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.
Beyond the gaffe, Vance's core message centred on expanding year-round access to E15, a fuel blend with a 15 per cent ethanol content that Iowa's corn farmers see as a key demand lever. Advocates attended the event in branded hats and shirts, and Nunn told the crowd that the House would vote on a year-round E15 bill the following week, perKCRG's reporting on the event.
Vance told supporters at Ex-Guard Industries that the administration wants to ensure Iowa farmers 'get access to the products they need' while trade policy is in flux. He also pointed to the facility itself, founded in 2009, Vance said, as a symbol of domestic manufacturing under pressure from Chinese imports, stating that foreign competitors had been 'dumping goods, undercutting the wages of the workers of this factory.'
Source: International Business Times UK
