A staff mutiny forced the management of a plush British countryside pub to turn away JD Vance, just weeks after the same venue hosted Kamala Harris, according to reports.
The vice president had reportedly attempted to dine at The Bull in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, an early 16th-century countryside pub with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, a prestigious award from the Michelin Guide that highlights restaurants offering excellent food at moderate prices.
However, the staff reportedly staged a mutiny, telling management that they wouldn’t show up to work if the venue accepted Vance’s dinner booking, according to a Popb---- newsletter from Thursday.
The rejection is all the more embarrassing considering that former vice president turned presidential hopeful, Kamala Harris, dined there just weeks before, as part of the pre-wedding dinner for Steve Jobs’ daughter, Eve. She married Harry Charles, a 26-year-old British Olympic equestrian, in the Cotswolds, a sprawling area of natural beauty in south-west England, at the end of July.
“It’s been the talk of the village-it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened here for a very long time,” one local told British tabloid The Sun of Harris’s visit to the venue, where a steak will set diners back $98.
“Unfortunately, I’m not able to comment,” a staff member told The Daily Beast via phone call when quizzed on Vance’s reported rejection. She referred the Beast to the owner of the venue, Public House Group, which has been contacted for comment. Representatives for Vance have also been contacted.
Charlbury, a small town near the 18th-century manor where Vance and his family stayed while in the Cotswolds, was also the scene of a colorful protest against his visit on Tuesday. The “Dance Against Vance” protest was punctuated by placards dubbing him a “war criminal,” and images of a meme that shows a bald and baby-faced Vance with rosy, swollen cheeks.
Residents in Charlbury and the tiny hamlet of Dean, where the manor house is situated, quickly grew weary of Vance and his entourage of vehicles and Secret Service agents. Even the deputy mayor of Chipping Norton, not far from Dean, spoke out against his vacation.
“We’ve had a curtailment of our freedoms here, just by his mere presence, in terms of where we can walk and where we can be,” said Steve Akers. “And the American Secret Service knocking on people’s doors and asking about their Facebook profiles.”
Akers was responding to reports that Vance’s protection detail had demanded social media profile information from those living in the area. Thames Valley Police, the British force that supported the United States during the vice president’s visit, denied these claims, however.
“Residents were under no obligation to answer any questions and were not asked about social media,” a force spokesperson said.
“The whole charade was obscene. No respect,” Alice Chanders wrote on a local forum. “Good riddance….." added Rosemary Bennett, as the Vice President moved on to Scotland. He flew on Air Force Two with his family on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, the first full day of his visit north of the border, Vance played golf at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course in South Ayrshire. It comes just weeks after Trump himself visited the course.
