Team USA’s cheers were overshadowed by jeers when the San Siro Stadium screens displayed the vice president and his spouse
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced surprise upon learning that Vice President J.D. Vance was jeered at the Olympics opening ceremony in Italy.
The Winter Olympics formally kicked off on Friday, featuring the traditional Parade of Nations at Milan’s renowned San Siro Stadium.
Team USA walked into the stadium to applause, but when cameras briefly cut to Vance and his wife Usha waving U.S. flags from the stands, jeering started.
“Oops… those are a lot of boos for him… whistling, jeering, some applause. Not a long shot for him on the screen there,” a CBC commentator noted during the live broadcast. The clip rapidly spread across social media.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump stated he hadn’t watched the broadcast but found the reception “surprising.”
Given his and his president’s stances and actions, the jeering was hardly unexpected. Has anything similar ever occurred to a U.S. politician at an Olympic Games’ official opening ceremony in history?
— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik)
“That’s surprising because people like him,” he remarked, adding that Vance is “in a foreign nation, to be fair – he doesn’t get jeered at in this country.”
Reporter: “Did you see that Vice President Vance was booed at the Olympics?”
Trump: “That’s surprising because people like him.”
Who will tell him? They can’t be that oblivious.
— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO)
“Over my 22 Olympics, it may have happened before, but I definitely don’t recall it,” long-time USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan posted on X. Some individuals noted that the cold reception was tied to public dissatisfaction with recent U.S. policies.
U.S.-EU relations have been tense since Trump took office again last year, characterized by trade disputes, tariffs, digital regulation conflicts, the Ukraine war, and Trump’s threats to seize , an autonomous region of EU member Denmark.
Domestic unrest regarding Trump’s harsh immigration enforcement measures also seems to have spilled over into Italy. Hundreds of people protested in Milan on Friday against the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel assigned to secure the U.S. delegation.
Vance wasn’t the only one to face jeers. Team Israel also got a cold reception. They stated they expected a hostile welcome because of the Gaza conflict and global backing for the Palestinians.
The Winter Olympics are taking place from February 6 to 22. Thirteen Russian athletes will compete under neutral flags due to the suspension of Russia’s Olympic Committee over Ukraine-related sanctions – a decision Moscow has labeled as political.