Tea, cakes and funny signs greet Vance in quintessentially British countryside
LONDON — JD Vance got a very English welcome after he, his family and their large security detail rolled through the village of Charlbury this week, just not the kind the vice president would have hoped for.
Bathed in sunshine, dozens of demonstrators drank tea, ate cake featuring a meme of the vice president’s face and held up humorous placards Tuesday in the small community in the Cotswolds, as this part of the countryside is known.
“JD Vance Netflix password is ‘password,’” said one handmade sign at a protest near where the Vances are vacationing some 100 miles west of the capital, London.
A second sign declared that Vance “claps when the plane lands,” referring to a practice mocked by some Britons who see it as very un-British overenthusiasm. Others held placards quoting Vance when he said he “never liked” President Donald Trump.
“Cotswolds childless cat ladies say go home,” another read, referring to comments Vance made to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in 2021 about senior Democrats in Congress that resurfaced during last year’s presidential race.
In the nearby town of Chipping Norton, some locals said they were unprepared for the level of security disruption as some of the already tight roads in the area were closed for Vance’s motorcade.
Design manager Geoff Holliday, 51, said Wednesday he was “getting bored” with the closures, adding that he was longing for the motorcade to be slowed down by “a disgruntled farmer and a combine harvester.”
Nestled among the rolling hills that rise up from meadows of the upper River Thames, the Cotswolds’ picture-postcard towns and villages have been popular with holidaymakers for centuries.
More recently, the area has attracted a wealthier crowd.
Chipping Norton and its surrounding area are known for the “Chipping Norton set,” including former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron; Elizabeth Murdoch, media executive and daughter of Rupert Murdoch; and more recently, comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Former “Top Gear” presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s “Diddly Squat Farm” in Chadlington is also nearby, and he shared an image on Instagram which highlighted how his farm is under a no-fly zone over the Cotswolds.
Appearing to reference filming for his “Clarkson’s Farm” Amazon show, he wrote: “The JD Vance no fly zone. We are the pin. So on the downside, no drone shots today. On the upside, no annoying light aircraft.”
Later, he shared a video of a peaceful Cotswolds scene.
