JD And Usha Vance Get The Icy Winter Olympics Welcome We All Saw Coming
The Olympic Games are ideally supposed to be a uniting force for the world, but politics has a way of creeping in regardless. The vice president and his wife learned that the hard way at the opening ceremonies of the Milan Cortina Winter Games. JD Vance's fragile ego was reportedly a high priority for the Olympics, amid fears of what might happen during the event. Italian residents were outraged over rumors President Donald Trump planned to send ICE agents to Milan; would that backlash extend to all of Team USA as well?
The concern was justified, if a bit misplaced. Just as the American athletes entered the stadium, the Jumbotron camera cut to a shot of the Vances in the stands. (Usha Vance, expecting her fourth child, looked delighted.) The crowd's cheers immediately turned to boos and whistles. The TV commentator was a bit taken aback (via YouTube): "There's Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha — oop, those are not — uh, those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause ... " When the cameras switched back to the athletes, the audience cheered again, leaving no doubt as to the object of the protest.
BREAKING: In a stunning moment, JD Vance was just booed relentlessly at the Olympics. Wow. The Trump-Vance admin is humiliating us on the world stage. pic.twitter.com/06ryMvehDH
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) February 6, 2026
Online critics didn't disappoint as they jumped to comment on the humiliating moment. "The world just gave the Trump admin the loudest 'we're not with him,'" noted a viewer on X. A second detractor critiqued, "They didn't boo loudly enough!" One wit predicted that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would pull a "Simpsons" spin à la Smithers telling Mr. Burns that his jeerers were actually yelling "Boo-urns."
JD Vance got halfhearted support from his boss
The reception for JD Vance at the Milan Winter Olympics was icier than the mounds of dirty snow that are still piled on NYC streets two weeks after their big January storm. The crowd dared to defy the request from International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry that they stay "respectful of each other ... as a reminder for everyone of what we could be" (per The Independent). Yet it could be argued that the booing wasn't the most hurtful blow to the vice president. When his boss was asked about the incident, the response proved that the bromance between Donald Trump and Vance might not be as tight as it appears.
Aboard Air Force One, a reporter asked Trump what he thought of the greeting his running mate received. As seen here on X, he commented, "That's surprising, because people like him. Well, I mean, he is in a foreign country, you know, in all fairness. He doesn't get booed in this country." A lukewarm answer indeed from a leader renowned for his fiery tirades against anyone who dares to criticize him or his inner circle. It also suggested Trump was subtly separating himself from Vance, given his frequent boasts about how much the world respects America now that he's in office again. Looking ahead a few years, this might not bode well for the 2028 Republican ticket.
The Vances and their children will stay at the Winter Games for its first week, after which the veep has business elsewhere. That means a lot of opportunities for spectators to repent and show their respect for America's number-two man. Or not.