Protesters rage at JD Vance’s Vermont ski trip, branding him a ‘traitor’ after fiery clash with Zelenskyy

Crowds gathered in Vermont on Saturday, protesting Vice President JD Vance’s visit to a ski resort just a day after his heated Oval Office confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Furious demonstrators lined the streets of Waitsfield, near Sugarbush Resort, where Vance and his family were vacationing, waving banners that read “Vance is a traitor go ski in Russia” and “Trump serves Putin.” Some even made their way to the ski slopes, though resort officials said the demonstrations remained peaceful.

The protests followed an extraordinary White House meeting on Friday, during which Vance and President Donald Trump clashed with Zelenskyy, berating him for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. military aid. The tense exchange reportedly escalated, with Trump warning the Ukrainian leader that he was “gambling with World War III” by refusing to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.

The demonstration was organised by the Mad River Valley chapter of Indivisible, a progressive activist group. Though originally planned to oppose the Trump-Vance administration’s policies, the dramatic White House encounter intensified public outrage. Protesters held signs accusing Vance of betraying the country, while others called for his resignation.

Despite the anger on display, Sugarbush Resort spokesperson John Bleh described the scene as mostly uneventful. “There were a handful of protesters at the resort throughout the day, but all were peaceful and none were disruptive,” he said.

The uproar stemmed from a high-stakes diplomatic meeting in Washington, where Zelenskyy had travelled to finalise an agreement allowing the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. The deal was part of a broader strategy to end the war that began three years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine.

However, what was expected to be a diplomatic negotiation quickly turned into an explosive confrontation. Trump and Vance allegedly scolded Zelenskyy over his reluctance to accept a peace settlement with Moscow. Sources familiar with the meeting described it as a heated exchange, with shouting from both sides. Zelenskyy, refusing to back down, pushed for continued U.S. support in repelling Russian aggression.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, attempted to ease tensions ahead of Vance’s visit, urging residents to be respectful, despite political differences. “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. His plea, however, did little to prevent the wave of backlash that followed Vance from Washington to Vermont.

The vice president has remained silent on the protests and the Oval Office altercation. His office did not respond to requests for comment from CNBC, leaving political analysts speculating on how the administration plans to handle the growing controversy.

With tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine reaching a boiling point and anti-Trump protests erupting even in remote locations, it remains to be seen how Vance and the administration will navigate the mounting criticism.