Trump responds after JD Vance is booed at Olympic opening ceremony

Donald Trump has shared his thoughts on JD Vance receiving a frosty reception at the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The vice president, 41, didn't get the warmest of welcomes from sports fans who packed out the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on Friday (6 February).

Although athletes from the US were greeted with cheers as they walked out, Vance was booed when cameras cut to show him and his wife, Usha, proudly waving their country's flag.

There were boos, jeers and a bit of applause from the crowd - but Americans watching from home didn't get to see this, as it was reportedly cut from NBC’s broadcast.

The four athletes representing Israel at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina also received a similar reception when they emerged during the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Kirsty Coventry, had urged spectators at the opening ceremony to 'be respectful' earlier this week.

But this warning apparently fell on deaf ears, given the reaction that Vance and Israel's athletes received.

Mark Adams, a spokesperson for the IOC, has since said of the jeers towards Vance: "In terms of the athletes and the teams, whatever background, whatever country they're from, I don't think we like to see booing, we want to see sportsperson-like behaviour from everyone. It's important that we support our athletes."

The US president has also chimed in on the debate surrounding the crowd's reaction to Vance, saying he was 'surprised' that the politician was met with jeers.

While speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said: "It’s surprising because people like him. Well, I mean, he is in a foreign country, in all fairness. But he doesn’t get booed in this country.”

Which isn't exactly true...as Vance has been booed on American soil plenty of times before.

He was booed while making a speech at the International Association of Fire Fighters in August 2024, as well as in March last year when he rocked up to a gig at the Kennedy Center around 25 minutes late.

Vance's wife, Usha, shared a snap of the pair attending the opening ceremony on Instagram alongside the caption: "What a thrilling start to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan! Go Team USA - we’re rooting for you!"

Comically, the comment section of the post was filled with wisecracks from social media users about her and her husband being booed.

One read: "Could you repeat that? I couldn’t hear over the boos."

Another laughed: "The crowd knew the assignment."

And a third added: "Didn’t y'all get booed?"

LADbible Group has contacted NBC Universal News Group for comment.