San Siro stadium in Milan broke out in scattered boos as Vice President JD Vance 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.
Near the end of the ceremony’s lengthy Parade of Nations, the U.S. delegation of athletes, decked out in white Ralph Lauren coats, entered the stadium to cheers and whistles. But the crowd’s mood seemed to shift when the screen switched from the athletes to the stands, where Mr. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were waving small American flags.
Their appearance on the screens lasted for only a few seconds but was met with a smattering of jeers and boos that were audible despite the loud music playing for the parade.
Mr. Vance arrived in Milan earlier this week and has been watching U.S. athletes compete. He was in the crowd for a U.S. women’s hockey game on Thursday and at a figure skating team event on Friday. He often speaks publicly and posts comments on social media in support of President Trump, criticizing NATO and its member nations; defending the administration’s capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, in a military operation; and pressing an immigration crackdown in the United States that has often turned brutal and has at times involved fatalities.
Hours before the opening ceremony at San Siro stadium, protesters took to the streets of Milan to condemn the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel in Italy, which U.S. officials have said was “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations” and not to carry out immigration enforcement.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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