Washington DC - Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has finally shared his thoughts after an awkward video of trying to speak with workers at a donut shop went viral.

Last Thursday, Vance stopped into Holt's Sweet Shop in Georgia, where he was caught on film struggling to strike up small talk with a female employee, who responded by telling him she'd rather not be on camera.

The clip of the interaction garnered millions of views on social media and has influenced countless memes made in its wake.

In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Vance said he felt "terrible" for the female employee and blamed his staff for the failed publicity stunt.

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"We walked in, and there's 20 Secret Service agents, and there's 15 cameras, and she clearly had not been properly warned, and she was terrified, right? I just felt awful for her," Vance explained.

"I like to get out there and talk to people, and we want to make sure we’re doing it, but definitely make sure that people are at least OK with being on camera," he admitted. "Or we're going to walk in, and you're going to have a person who has, practically, a panic attack because she's got 15 cameras in her face."

Vance, who has been struggling as Donald Trump's running mate, didn't address the awkwardness that made the video so popular, such as when he tried to place an order for "some sprinkle stuff."