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Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony: No Medal, Lots of Boos for JD Vance

U.S. Vice President JD Vance had to deal with more than his fair share of boos during the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony this afternoon.

Published Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:16:08 -0600

by Ray Flook

Last updated Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:43:28 -0600

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"I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other. No one is asking what country they come from or what religion. They are all just hanging out. 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." Those were the words shared by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry ahead of today's 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, when asked about the possibility of Donald Trump's vice-president, JD Vance, being booed in response to how other countries have viewed the actions of the Trump Administration – in particular, the growing protests against the Department of Homeland Security's use of ICE agents in U.S. cities, and the violence that's resulted. Despite Coventry's wishful thinking, Vance (not the U.S. athletes) received more than his fair share of negative reactions during the brief time he was shown on screen.

Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony — Image: NBCUniversal; NBC Screencap

"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," Flo Clifford, a reporter for The Independent, noted from inside of the stadium where the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony was being held. During the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) feed, broadcaster Adrienne Arsenault shared, "Those are a lot of boos for him … whistling, jeering, some applause. Not a long shot for him on the screen there." Having watched the moment live on NBC this afternoon, there was a scattering of applause and some whistling, but you couldn't help but acknowledge the booing, even while it sounded as if the event's music was dialed up a bit to mask how the reactions sounded. Though videos of the moment began to hit social media pretty quickly, NBCUniversal wasted little time shutting them down over rights issues (especially with a prime-time airing tonight).

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