Did jd Vance get.l booed at opening Olympics
Executive summary
Yes — when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance appeared on the giant screens during the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, members of the crowd booed; multiple international outlets reported audible jeers and whistles even as the Parade of Nations drew largely positive reactions for the athletes themselves [1] [2] [3].
1. What happened in the stadium — the immediate, consistent accounts
As Team USA processed into San Siro stadium the camera briefly panned to Vance and his wife, Usha, and attendees responded with boos, whistles and jeers that were audible on broadcast feeds despite the ceremony’s loud music; publications from Reuters and The New York Times described the reception as a “smattering” or “scattered boos,” and sports and news outlets showed clips confirming the reaction [2] [1] [3].
2. How different outlets framed the moment — sober reports vs. sensational coverage
Mainstream outlets gave a restrained account — noting boos mixed with applause and emphasizing that the athletes drew cheers — while tabloids and some entertainment sites used louder language like “relentlessly booed” or “pummelled,” a choice that amplifies drama beyond the on-the-ground descriptions; examples range from Reuters and NYT’s measured wording to TMZ, Daily Mail and others that leaned into more emotive phrasing [2] [1] [4] [5].
3. Why people in Milan likely booed — the immediate political context reported
Several reports tied the reaction to local anger over U.S. immigration enforcement and the presence or role of ICE personnel in Italy, with protests in Milan beforehand calling for “ICE out” and local activists criticizing U.S. policies — context repeatedly cited by Reuters, The Telegraph, Newsweek and others as a likely driver of the crowd’s hostility toward the U.S. official rather than toward the athletes themselves [6] [2] [7].
4. What broadcasters on site heard and said — corroboration from live feeds
International broadcasters and reporters inside the stadium noted the boos in real time: CBC commentators said “a lot of boos,” and independent reporters described “very definite boos and jeers” when the camera showed the Vances, corroborating the visual clips being circulated online [7] [8].
5. Limits of the record — what the reporting cannot definitively show
Available reporting and video reliably document that boos occurred, but they cannot quantify how widespread or sustained the response was across the entire stadium, nor can they attribute the reaction to a single motive beyond the contextual indicators included in coverage; outlets differ in tone and emphasis, and no source provides a calibrated decibel measure or a comprehensive crowd survey [1] [2] [3].
6. Alternative interpretations and implicit agendas to watch for
Interpreters should weigh obvious alternatives: some coverage may frame the booing as evidence of anti-American sentiment or as a targeted rebuke of specific policies, while other narratives treat it as isolated protest theater amplified by partisan media; outlets with a tabloid bent often magnify spectacle, and political actors on all sides can use the clip to advance views about global perceptions of the U.S. [4] [5] [9].
7. Bottom line — a direct answer, with nuance
The direct answer is yes: J.D. Vance was booed when shown at the opening ceremony, as documented by multiple reputable outlets and live broadcasters; the sound and scale of the boos were described as scattered or a smattering rather than sustained riots of disapproval, and reporting consistently links the reaction to protest sentiment around U.S. immigration enforcement and broader diplomatic tensions [1] [2] [7].