Vice President JD Vance was at San Siro Stadium on Friday to witness the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
As all the members of Team USA walked into the stadium in their matching outfits, the crowd in Milan gave them a warm welcome. However, it didn't take long for those cheers to turn into boos. That's because the vice president of the United States was shown on the Jumbotron alongside his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance.
Vance was seen waving a miniature American flag from the grandstand as Team USA was being introduced. It's unclear if he was shocked by the crowd's harsh response.
© Yves Herman/Reuters via Imagn Images.
Before the opening ceremony even started, International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry asked people to be respectful
"I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other," Coventry said, via The Daily Beast.
Clearly, not every person in the crowd got the memo.
U.S. Olympians aren't holding back.
Prior to Friday's opening ceremony, freestyle skier Chris Lillis talked about the challenges of representing Team USA.
“I love the USA and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics,” said Lillis. “With that being said, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States. .. I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect."
We'll see if Team USA gives their people back home something to cheer about this month.