Did JD Vance get good at the winter Olympics?
Executive summary
JD Vance did not "get good" at the Winter Olympics in the sense of winning broad public approval or athletic acclaim; his appearance as the U.S. presidential delegate was met with audible boos in Milan, a reaction widely recorded by multiple international outlets [1] even as American television coverage downplayed or edited the crowd’s response [2].
1. The moment that defined his visit: boos on the big screen
When cameras panned to Vice‑President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, during the Parade of Nations at the San Siro opening ceremony, sections of the stadium broke into scattered boos and jeers that were captured on international broadcasts and eyewitness reporting [1] [3], and were described as a "chorus of boos" by several outlets covering the event [4] [5].
2. Domestic broadcasts and difference in audience experience
American viewers saw a different cut: The Guardian reported that NBC's U.S. coverage appeared to remove or reduce the audible booing when Vance was shown, meaning many U.S. television audiences may have been unaware of the negative reaction that was plainly audible in other feeds such as CBC and in on‑the‑ground reporting [2].
3. Why the crowd reacted: political context and protests
Reporters linked the jeers to larger political tensions surrounding U.S. policies and the presence of ICE agents at the Games, with protests in Milan and critical commentary about the Trump administration providing context for the reaction; outlets noted demonstrators and broader anger at U.S. immigration policy as part of the backdrop to the boos [6] [4] [7].
4. Mixed atmosphere — athletes cheered, politicians heckled
Coverage emphasized that Team USA athletes largely received warm applause and support, and that the boos appeared specifically targeted at political figures like Vance rather than U.S. competitors — journalists described a shift from cheers for athletes to jeers when the broadcast cut to the Vances [1] [8], a distinction that complicates any simple reading that the stadium was uniformly hostile to the U.S. delegation [9].
5. How different outlets framed the episode
Some outlets led with the spectacle of a vice‑presidential booing as newsworthy and symbolic of transatlantic tensions [4] [9], others offered straightforward scene‑reporting of the incident without editorializing [3] [5], while tabloid and partisan pages amplified the moment for rhetorical effect [7] [10]; Fox News reported the Vances’ attendance more neutrally, noting their presence but not foregrounding the boos [11].
6. What “getting good at the Winter Olympics” would mean — and whether it applies
If the question means athletic achievement, there is no reporting that Vance competed in events; his role was that of a political representative and spectator [1]. If it means succeeding as a public envoy or softening public opinion, the available reporting indicates he did not win the crowd: the boos were a clear, documented sign of disapproval, even as Americans in the stadium and many viewers still cheered the athletes [1] [8].
7. Limitations of the available reporting
All claims above rest on contemporaneous media reporting and broadcast recordings; there is firm coverage of the booing and of differing broadcast edits [2] [1] [3], but no comprehensive survey of overall stadium sentiment or post‑event polling of attendees; therefore one cannot quantify how representative the boos were of all spectators beyond multiple independent eyewitness and broadcast accounts [1] [4].
Conclusion
JD Vance did not "get good" at the Winter Olympics in any conventional sense: his presence as vice‑presidential delegate provoked audible and widely reported boos in Milan that several outlets framed as a political rebuke [1] [4], and U.S. viewers’ experience was partly shaped by editorial choices in American broadcasts that downplayed that reception [2].