It all started on what should have been a quiet campaign stop. J.D. Vance, riding the wave of Trump’s endorsement, arrived at Primanti Bros.’ North Versailles location to meet with supporters, eat some iconic sandwiches, and pose for a few photos. But when Vance tried to enter the restaurant, a manager reportedly told him, “This is not a campaign stop, and J.D.’s not allowed in.”
What happened next can only be described as a political and culinary catastrophe. Vance, blocked at the door, was forced to meet his supporters in the parking lot—an unceremonious setting for what was supposed to be a friendly local event. Though he handled it with grace, even tipping the staff and paying for everyone’s meals, social media went into overdrive. Videos surfaced, tweets were posted, and the #BoycottPrimanti hashtag was born.
The incident ignited outrage among Trump supporters, many of whom had already been irritated by the revelation that the same location had hosted Kamala Harris just a few weeks earlier. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, had waltzed into the restaurant for a private event, reportedly clearing out paying customers for what some claimed were “staged patrons.” And that’s all it took for the bread to crumble.
