Hundreds of protesters lining the streets of a small Vermont town forced Vice President JD Vance and his family to cancel a planned ski trip ahead of his anticipated arrival Saturday.
Organizers estimated anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 people turned out in Waitsford near the well-known Sugarbush Resort where the Vance family was headed, local outlet VT Digger reported.
Dozens of protesters showed up specifically in support of Ukraine, following Vance and President Trump’s showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House on Friday. At least one protester held a “Go ski in Russia” sign.
“Ski Russia because JD Vance has no friends in Vermont, but he’s got lots of friends in Russia, so he should go there for vacation,” Waterbury resident Tekla Van Hoven told local CBS affiliate WCAX.
Vance, 40, and his family did not make it to Sugarbush but were instead relocated to an undisclosed location, Fox News reported. A crowd of pro-Palestine protesters had also gathered outside the small hotel where they were planning to stay.
A smaller crowd of pro-Vance, pro-Trump demonstrators also massed outside the hotel, leading to several shouting matches but limited physical violence, according to VT Digger.
“We came out here today to make sure that a message is being sent loud and clear from Vermont to Vance and the entire administration, that anything short of a fully free and liberated Palestine is a nonstarter,” local activist Michelle Eddleman McCormick told the outlet.
With News Wire Services
