Vice President Vance comes under fire and is rushed away by Secret Service
America is hitting a fever pitch. And some are willing to go to extremes.
Now Vice President Vance came under fire and is rushed away by Secret Service.
Vice President JD Vance and his family were forced to relocate to an “undisclosed location” after a wave of pro-Ukraine protesters descended on their Vermont ski vacation, just days after Vance’s fiery exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
What was supposed to be a quiet getaway at Sugarbush Resort in Waitsfield turned chaotic as hundreds of demonstrators lined the snow-covered streets, forcing Vance to cut the family’s four-day trip short. Protesters held up signs branding him a “national disgrace” and a “traitor,” with some even telling him to “go ski in Russia.”
Counter-protesters also made their presence known. Pickup trucks waving “Make America Great Again” flags drove through the town, while heated verbal clashes broke out between Vance supporters and his critics outside the resort.
Faced with the escalating tensions, Vance and his family abandoned plans to stay at a four-star inn and instead retreated to a secure, undisclosed location. Some protesters were so determined that they camped out near a ski lift, hoping to confront the vice president on the slopes.
The protests, originally planned to oppose the Trump administration’s federal budget cuts, took on new intensity after Zelensky’s visit to the White House erupted into a public confrontation.
The Ukrainian president had arrived to finalize a mineral rights deal, but the meeting quickly soured, leading to the deal’s collapse and Zelensky’s reported ejection from the Oval Office.
Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott had attempted to preemptively defuse tensions, calling for civility ahead of Vance’s visit.
“I hope Vermonters remember the Vice President is here on a family trip with his young children and, while we may not always agree, we should be respectful,” Scott said in a statement Thursday. “Please join me in welcoming them to Vermont, and hoping they have an opportunity to experience what makes our state, and Vermonters, so special.”
Yet, the demonstrations pressed on, fueled by concerns over everything from Social Security and Medicaid cuts to immigration enforcement and transgender rights.
“Some of us are scared about losing Social Security or Medicaid or parks or having measles epidemics or climate change,” said protest organizer Ginny Sassaman of Indivisible Calais, speaking to VT Digger.
The diverse coalition of activists included members of the LGBTQ+ community, who voiced their fears over the administration’s policies.
“As a trans person and as a person of color, I’m extremely concerned about the new policies about trans people. I’m concerned about the ICE raids. I have friends who are trans. I have friends who are immigrants who’ve been reaching out to me and saying, ‘We’re scared,’” organizer Katayoun Lam told VT Digger.
The uproar stemmed largely from Vance’s Oval Office clash with Zelensky, where he publicly rebuked the Ukrainian leader for failing to show gratitude for American military aid.
“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 Zelensky.
“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.”
What began as a policy debate in Washington spilled over into the Vermont mountains, forcing Vance to cut his trip short amid a clash of passionate political voices.
