Team USA, JD Vance Booed in Frosty Reception at Italy’s Winter Olympics

San Siro stadium in Milan broke out in scattered boos as Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha appeared on huge screens there during the opening ceremony for the Winter Games, an indication of the fury in Italy over the Trump administration’s policies.

via: EW

During Friday's opening ceremony to the games, which are taking place in Milan, Italy, the camera panned to the Vances, who are representing the United States at the event. For those watching the NBC live feed, the noise of the crowd was relatively quiet, as the announcers said simply, "Vice President JD Vance," and the broadcast moved on to talking about the athletes of Team USA.

On Canada's CBC broadcast, however, the crowd noise was a lot more obvious, as the announcer could be heard narrating: "There's the Vice President, JD Vance... oop... those are not... eh, those are a lot of boos for him — whistling, jeering, some applause."

Additionally, The Independent’s Flo Clifford reported from inside Milan's San Siro stadium, where the opening ceremony was held, that there was "a largely positive reception for the US contingent — there are thousands of American fans in the stadium — but very definite boos and jeers for vice president JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, who the camera pans to waving American flags for a few brief seconds.”

The apparent jeers come after hundreds of anti-ICE protestors rallied in Milan, also on Friday, as well as on the heels of IOC president Kirsty Coventry urging viewers in a press conference Wednesday to "be respectful."

Coventry made the remarks when asked during the presser if whether, given the “geopolitical backdrop tensions with America” and Milan's mayor "calling the ICE agents a militia that kills," if she thought it would be "free speech" or understandable if Americans were jeered during the opening ceremony.

"I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other,” she replied, before citing her visit to the Olympic village and seeing athletes come together from all corners of the planet as an example.

“No one is asking what country they come from or what religion. They are all just hanging out,” she said. “It was a real opportunity to put into perspective how we could all be. And so, for me, I hope that the opening ceremony will do that and will be a reminder for everyone how we could be.”

This round of boos comes almost a year after Vance was booed loudly as he entered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in March.

That icy reception was caught on camera at the time by The Guardian's Andrew Roth at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra. The footage showed Vance smiling and waving to the crowd from his box seat as the jeers continued.