JD Vance Booed Relentlessly At The Olympics & Donald Trump Acts Shocked

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Alexander NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images

What to Know

01 Video footage captured people booing at Vice President JD Vance during the opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
02 President Donald Trump acted shocked by this and said it only happened because Vance was in another country.
03 On social media, people recalled all the times Vance was booed in the United States as well.

It’s not clear what kind of response Vice President JD Vance was expecting to receive when he traveled to Italy for the Winter Olympics. The fact that he got booed during the opening ceremony was surprising to basically no one, though critics of the Trump administration were pleased to find out that disliking Vance apparently transcends borders. But for some reason, President Donald Trump acted shocked to hear this. He also claimed that the same thing would never happen in the United States, where Vance is supposedly well-liked. Hmm.

The relentless booing was noticeable.

In video footage from the opening ceremony, one commentator noticed that there were “a lot of boos” for Vance. On social media, many Trump admin critics really appreciated “watching JD Vance get booed by the entire international audience.” One person wrote, “For those of you who loudly BOOED JD Vance at the Olympics, we THANK YOU for your support.”

Political journalist Peter Hamby shared texts he received from a friend who was reportedly at the event. In the texts, the friend alleged that “the whole stadium” booed upon seeing the vice president and his wife, Usha Vance.

But Trump acted like this would never happen in the U.S.

On Air Force One, a reporter asked Trump about the booing and he acted totally shocked. “No, I didn’t see that,” he claimed. “Is that true, is that right? It’s surprising, ’cause people like him. Well, I mean he is in a foreign country, in all fairness. But, uh, he doesn’t get booed in this country.” Which is an interesting claim, given that people can remember several occasions in which Vance got booed in the U.S.

In August 2025, he was heckled at a photo op involving Shake Shack hamburgers. People have also protested against him during his family vacations in different U.S. states. He also made headlines when he was booed at the Kennedy Center in March 2025. It’s also not the first time that people were not excited to see Vance in other countries either. Previously, a musician in the United Kingdom canceled a performance after hearing that Vance might attend.

Not only do people remember these incidents, but also, videos exist — and people shared them on social media after hearing Trump’s comments. In response to Trump, one critic on X wrote, “Guess he forgot that time last winter when the locals ran him out of Stowe, VT.” And someone else said, “That is the funniest thing that I’ve ever heard. He is so unpopular – ever seen how he is greeted when he goes on vacation with his family? Roll the tapes…”

Paige Sheffield (she/her)