JD Vance’s U.K. trip has caused a stir, with locals staging a ‘Vance not welcome party’ on Tuesday after the U.S. vice president’s motorcade arrived in the picturesque Cotswolds.
“Bullies not welcome here,” read one sign, while another called to “make America moral again.”
Other placards mocked the U.S. official more directly, saying “JD Vance’s Netflix password is password” and “JD Vance claps when the plane lands.”
A meme image featuring Vance with a bald head was printed on balloons and attached to the front of a popular celebratory “caterpillar” cake and displayed on the side of a van.
Residents also faced security checks and road closures related to Vance’s visit.
The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
“The local people of the Cotswolds turned out because they feel very strongly that JD Vance is not welcome here, and they wanted to exercise their freedom of speech,” a spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition, which organized the protest, told CNBC on Tuesday.
“The atmosphere was, was really wonderful,” the spokesperson said. “It was a really joyous festival of resistance.”
According to the spokesperson, around 80 people attended the event, mostly locals. The protest has garnered widespread social media attention, with users sharing footage and pictures from the event and creating memes about Vance’s trip.
The U.S. vice president, who is travelling with his wife and children, has previously criticized the U.K, which the spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition said had angered locals. They also pointed to Vance and the U.S. administration’s positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza enclave as factors contributing to outrage.
See some impressions of the protest here:
Attendees pose with placards at a “Vance not welcome party”.
Darren Staples | Afp | Getty Images
A protestor wearing a a satirical mask of US President Donald Trump, holds a balloon depicting a satirical image of US Vice-President JD Vance during a “Vance not welcome party”, organised by Stop Trump Coalition supporters and local residents on August 12, 2025 in Charlbury, Oxfordshire.
Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Attendees pose with placards at a “Vance not welcome party”.
Darren Staples | Afp | Getty Images
Attendees pose with placards at a “Vance not welcome party”.
Darren Staples | Afp | Getty Images
A satirical image of US Vice-President JD Vance is seen on the front of a cake during a “Vance not welcome party”.
Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Cotswolds is a popular celebrity destination, with former British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. TV personality Ellen DeGeneres having a residence in the area. Earlier this year, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was also spotted in the region, as she reportedly attended the wedding of Eve Jobs, daughter of late Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs.
Vance’s trip has also included a stay with British Foreign Minister David Lammy in Kent, where the two held a bilateral meeting after a fishing trip.
The U.S. vice president is also set to meet further U.K. politicians and travel to Scotland for the next leg of his trip.
A police road block is in operation, filtering access to the village of Dean, three miles north of Charlbury, west of London on August 12, 2025, as the US Vice President JD Vance takes his vacation in the English countryside.
Darren Staples | Afp | Getty Images
Memes of the vice president are displayed on a truck during a “Vance not welcome party”.
Darren Staples | Afp | Getty Images
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (R) and US Vice President JD Vance (L) fish in the grounds of Chevening House, in Chevening, southeast England, on August 8, 2025.
Suzanne Plunkett | Afp | Getty Images
