'Release the Epstein Files': JD Vance Faces Heckler Demanding Trump Release Records at North Carolina Rally

US Vice President JD Vance was interrupted at a Republican rally in North Carolina on Monday, 19 October, when a protester seated directly behind him stood up and shouted, 'Release the Epstein files!'

Vance responded by saying he needed to amend his earlier claim of zero illegal border crossings, adding, 'But one isn't bad, right?' The remark drew laughter from the crowd, while the protester was escorted out of Hyder Warehouse in Hendersonville as people booed and chanted 'USA'.

Critics read the comment as implying that the protester was in the country illegally. Vance did not say so, and nothing in the reports establishes the protester's identity, immigration status or political affiliation. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the response.

Protester Interrupts Vance During Rally

Vance was criticising what he called a 'corrupt, far-left cartel' when the man stood up holding a North Carolina flag sign. He also shouted, 'God bless our children!' Security personnel removed him from the venue.

After the quip, Vance turned on the protester. 'We know what the guy yelling at us, behind us stood for', he said, before attacking Democratic candidates as 'props' and saying the protester 'doesn't know what he's hollered about'.

Newsom, a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, criticised Vance's handling of the interruption, according to AL.com. Others on the left saw the response as contradictory, because Trump himself campaigned on releasing the Epstein files, the New Republic reported.

Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in a New York jail while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide. Ghislaine Maxwell, his associate, was convicted in 2021 of helping recruit and groom underage girls for sexual abuse and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The appearance of a person's name in Epstein-related records does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.

Vance Campaigns In Competitive North Carolina Races

The Hendersonville event was organised by the Trump 47 Committee ahead of the 3 November midterm elections. In western North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, state Representative Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican, is running against Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer from Fairview.

The seat opened after Republican Chuck Edwards withdrew his re-election bid amid controversy over his conduct towards female staffers, and the House censured him on 1 September. Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report both rate the race a toss-up, although Donald Trump won the district by about 12 percentage points in 2024, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.

The state's open Senate race is another contest drawing national attention. Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, is challenging Roy Cooper, North Carolina's former governor, for the seat held by Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is not seeking re-election. Recent polling has shown Cooper with a substantial advantage, the Citizen Times reported. Trump was scheduled to hold a separate rally in Greenville on Tuesday, 20 October.

Early voting in North Carolina began on 15 October and continues through 31 October.

Vance Previously Criticised Handling of Epstein Files

In a July interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Vance said the administration had 'absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files'. He pointed largely to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had said an alleged 'client list' was 'sitting on my desk right now'. Vance said he did not think Bondi acted maliciously, but that she 'overstated what we had and what we didn't have'.

'But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No', Vance said.

The Justice Department announced on 30 January that it had published nearly 3.5 million pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law Trump signed on 19 November 2025 requiring the release of records related to the investigations. The department said the publication included more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Some material was withheld or redacted for legal reasons, including victim-protection requirements and court restrictions.