Canada and social media recorded boos and cheers during JD Vance’s exit

During the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan, US Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were met with a mixed reaction from the audience, who expressed their displeasure with boos and cheers. However, American viewers watching the NBC broadcast did not hear these negative reviews, as The Guardian reported.

When the US team appeared at the San Siro stadium, skater Erin Jackson received a warm applause. However, when the Vance couple entered the arena, whistles and sporadic applause began to sound from the crowd. Canadian broadcaster CBC recorded this reaction, noting that Vance faced a huge amount of boos.

The NBC broadcast did not show these sounds, and commentators only introduced the vice president. At the same time, videos of the audience’s reaction to this situation appeared in the US. The White House even released a clip of Vance applauding, without explaining why the whistles didn’t come on.

This isn’t the first time American broadcasters have tried to avoid showing negative reactions to representatives of the previous administration. For example, in September 2025, at the US Open tennis championships, organizers asked broadcasters not to focus on audience reactions to Donald Trump’s appearance.

In addition to Vance, four Israeli athletes also received negative reactions after provoking similar reactions from the audience.

Protests against the presence of ICE agents guarding American participants in the Olympics took place during the opening ceremony in Milan. The athletes expressed their opinions on participating in the competition amid political tension in the United States.