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By Jordan King
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Vice President JD Vance encountered heckling and widespread protests during a family visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, over the weekend.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the theme park, the Los Angeles Times reported, voicing their disapproval of Vance's presence amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across California.
Jane Fleming Kleeb, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, later confronted Vance inside the park while the Republican walked with his child. Vance's visit disrupted park operations as security measures increased, resulting in prolonged wait times and temporary ride closures for other guests, according to The Independent.
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Newsweek has contacted Vance's team, via email outside of normal office hours, for comment.
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Why It Matters
The vice president's visit unfolded against the backdrop of public outrage over recent ICE raids, which have intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration's immigration policies in California and elsewhere.
Vance has previously spoken against Disney, calling for an end to what he alleged were government handouts and denouncing their diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2022, he called Disney "woke" and accused them of "declaring war on America's children."
What To Know
The public demonstrations outside Disneyland coincided with recent ICE raids in Ventura County, where approximately 200 individuals believed to be in the country illegally were detained, with one farmworker reported dead and others critically injured.
While Vance was largely met with cheers and whooping in Disneyland, Kleeb heckled him.
"Mr. Vice President we support immigrants, we support America," she said several times.
"I thought California was violent," she later quipped.
Kleeb posted the clip on X with the caption: "VP Vance is at Disneyland. I'm also here with my family. When I had a brief moment, I made it clear--we support immigrants, we support America. I asked the obvious question, 'I thought you hate California?' Since we've all seen and heard the hatred coming from Vance and Trump for California and Disney..."
The video showed Vance walking with his child while Kleeb repeated her remarks. Vance did not publicly respond at the time of the encounter, the video shows.
Newsweek has contacted Kleeb, via a direct message on X, for further comment.
Vance was previously booed by protesters in California on July 6 as he and Second Lady Usha Vance left the Michelin-starred Soichi Sushi in San Diego. Some called out the vice president for dining at the exclusive restaurant while flash floods were hitting Texas.
What People Are Saying
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom reposted a video on X of Vance in Disneyland on Saturday with the caption: "Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you're tearing apart certainly won't."
Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento told City News Service: "[These raids are] terrorizing residents and shuttering our businesses and making people live in fear."
Vice President JD Vance on April 16 on X, discussing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown: "Here's a useful test: ask the people weeping over the lack of due process what precisely they propose for dealing with Biden's millions and millions of illegals. And with reasonable resource and administrative judge constraints, does their solution allow us to deport at least a few million people per year?
"If the answer is no, they've given their game away. They don't want border security. They don't want us to deport the people who've come into our country illegally. They want to accomplish through fake legal process what they failed to accomplish politically: The ratification of Biden's illegal migrant invasion. President Trump and I will not stand for [it],"
Update, 07/14/25, 5:51 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information
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