Vice President J.D. Vance’s family holiday in the English countryside reportedly took an unusual turn this week when staff at a Michelin Bib Gourmand–awarded pub allegedly refused to serve him, in what critics say is a telling sign of the growing intolerance toward conservative political figures abroad.
According to reports, employees at The Bull, a well-known dining spot in the Cotswolds village of Charlbury, objected to the vice president’s booking and informed management that they would not come to work if he appeared. “Unfortunately, I’m not able to comment,” a staff member told The Daily Beast when pressed about the incident.
The reported refusal comes just weeks after former Vice President Kamala Harris was warmly received at the very same establishment while attending the wedding of Eve Jobs, daughter of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
The contrast — Harris hosted without protest, Vance allegedly shunned — has fueled questions over whether political bias played a role.
A source familiar with the matter claimed that The Bull was “included as a potential option for lunch” for Vance and his family, but they ultimately decided not to dine there and “received no indication” they were unwelcome.
Whether or not a formal refusal took place, the mere suggestion of a “staff mutiny” underscores the hostility the vice president faced during his trip.
Vance’s time in the Cotswolds has been marked by organized demonstrations aimed at disrupting his visit.
On Tuesday, protesters gathered with signs bearing slogans such as “GO AWAY” and “WAR CRIMINAL,” signaling their intent to turn a private holiday into a political flashpoint.
“You know, he spent the weekend with our foreign secretary and so I think that means, you know, anything goes, really,” one demonstrator told The Guardian. “I think, you know, you have to be respectful of people, but at the same time, he’s here, he’s carrying out political business, and it’s appropriate to carry out a political protest.”
Adding to the spectacle, a group styling itself as “Everyone Hates Elon” — a reference to tech entrepreneur Elon Musk — drove a van around the area with a digitally altered image of Vance’s face, swollen and distorted, plastered on the side.
The episode highlights an increasingly familiar pattern for American conservatives traveling overseas, where political opposition often takes on a personal and performative edge.
To supporters of the vice president, the protests and the alleged pub incident are less about policy differences and more about a reflexive hostility toward right-of-center leaders.
For critics, the events are celebrated as a form of accountability. But for those concerned with civility in public life, the juxtaposition of Harris’s reception at The Bull with Vance’s reported treatment serves as a reminder that the much-touted ideals of “inclusion” and “tolerance” often prove selective in practice.
As Vance returns to his duties in Washington, the controversy from a quiet Cotswolds village is likely to linger — a small but telling skirmish in the broader cultural divide that now extends well beyond America’s shores.
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