# Protesters target JD Vance in Vermont after clash with Zelensky

2 March 2025

Watch: Protesters in Vermont, where Vance and his family were arriving to ski

Protesters in the US have lined a road in Vermont that Vice-President JD Vance was due to drive down following his and President Trump's angry exchange with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. They held up pro-Ukraine signs on the route in Waitsfield that Vance and his family were expected to take on their way to go skiing.

US media reported the family moved to an undisclosed location from their planned ski resort because of the demonstrations.

Hundreds of people also gathered in New York, Los Angeles and Boston on Saturday to express their support for Ukraine - a day after the furious row in the Oval Office.

The extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office saw Vance accuse the Ukrainian president of being disrespectful to the US.

Trump also clashed with Zelensky, telling him to make a deal with Russia "or we are out" and accusing him of "gambling with World War Three".

A protest in Waitsfield against the Trump-Vance administration had been organised earlier in the week - before the US president and vice-president's  - but many signs referenced the row and Russia's war with Ukraine.

"I think  performance at the White House has probably galvanised even more people to come out today," Judy Daly, from Indivisible Mad River Valley, the group which organised the protest, told Vermont Public Radio.

" crossed the line," protester Cori Giroux added.

Ahead of the Vance family's trip, Vermont's governor Phil Scott had urged people to "be respectful" to them.

Scott, the Republican governor who refused to vote for Trump, said: "I welcome the vice-president and his family to Vermont and hope they enjoy their weekend here.

"It's no surprise they chose Vermont, we've had a lot of snow this winter, which has been good for our economy."

He added: "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.

"Please join me in welcoming them to Vermont, and hoping they have an opportunity to experience what makes our state, and Vermonters, so special."

Vance, who has three young children with his wife Usha, has not publicly commented on the protests. Counter-protesters supporting Trump and Vance were also reportedly in Waitsfield.

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Separately, demonstrators also gathered outside Tesla stores in the US on Saturday to protest against Elon Musk's push to slash government spending.

Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla, has been tasked by Trump to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, more popularly known as Doge.

After the meeting at the White House, Zelensky flew to the UK where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and on Sunday he joined European leaders and Canada's Justin Trudeau in London for a summit to discuss ways of ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring Europe's security.

Ahead of the summit, Starmer said the UK and France would work with Ukraine "on a plan to stop the fighting" with Russia and would then "discuss that plan with the United States".

He told the BBC that his "driving purpose" right now was to act as a "bridge" between the two men.

Asked about how he felt watching the spat in the White House, Starmer sought to play down the incident, saying "nobody wants to see that" and admitted he felt "uncomfortable".
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