Protesters held signs labeling Vance a “traitor” and “Nazi scum,” with others reading “Go ski in Russia,” “Trump serves Putin,” “Theocracy is not freedom,” and “Stand with Ukraine.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered as Vice President JD Vance arrived at a ski resort with his family in Warren, Vermont, on Saturday. The demonstrators, holding pro-Ukraine signs, confronted Vance just a day after his heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
According to a report by Fox News, the protesters held signs labeling Vance a “traitor” and “Nazi scum,” with others reading “Go ski in Russia,” “Trump serves Putin,” “Theocracy is not freedom,” and “Stand with Ukraine.”
Despite the protests, one local skier expressed frustration over the demonstrations, telling Fox News, “Those people protesting Vance are f***ing morons.”
Vance’s confrontation with Zelensky in the Oval Office centered on US involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia. The discussion escalated when Zelensky tried to walk away from a mineral rights deal that Trump said would be the start of a broader peace initiative.
"Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance told the Ukrainian president. "Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict."
Vance criticized Zelensky for a lack of gratitude amid US support for Ukraine’s war efforts.
"You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country," Vance said.
The Oval Office confrontation has triggered protests from left-wing demonstrators demanding increased US support for Ukraine. The demonstrations against Vance and his family also follow remarks by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who recently urged Democrats to "fight" the Trump administration’s policies "in the streets."
Jeffries stated that Democrats “need to keep focused on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaire donors and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans across the country with the bill."
He added, "We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets." The White House later called on Jeffries to apologize for his remarks.
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