Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Waitsfield, Vermont, on Saturday morning to oppose the vice president’s visit to the state for a ski trip with his family. The protest, organized earlier in the week by the Mad River Valley chapter of Indivisible, gained momentum after Trump and Vance’s contentious White House meeting with Zelensky on Friday.
Protesters carried signs reading “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment,” while many waved Ukrainian flags in solidarity. Fox News aired footage of the demonstration but blurred out signs criticizing Vance and expressing support for Ukraine.
“After what he did yesterday, he crossed the line,” protester Cori Giroux told Vermont Public Radio.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican who has refused to support Trump in any of his presidential campaigns, urged residents to be respectful toward Vance and his family during their visit.
“Please join me in welcoming them to Vermont and hoping they have an opportunity to experience what makes our state, and Vermonters, so special,” Scott said in a statement on Thursday.
Vance, who acknowledged on Friday that he has never been to Ukraine, later moved to an undisclosed location to avoid protesters. Some commentators contrasted his actions with Zelensky’s, noting that the Ukrainian leader remained in Kiev during the war and returned to a capital still under attack.
The protests followed a tense Oval Office meeting in which Trump urged Zelensky to negotiate with Russia, warning, “or we’re out.” At one point, Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of not showing enough gratitude for US military and political assistance, cautioning that he was “gambling with World War Three.”
Zelensky responded by reiterating that he had consistently expressed appreciation for US support but insisted that Ukraine would not agree to a ceasefire without security guarantees.
In the aftermath of the meeting, European leaders, along with the prime ministers of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, posted statements reaffirming their support for Ukraine.
Democratic lawmakers also defended Zelensky, with Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut calling the Oval Office meeting an “ambush” orchestrated by Trump and Vance.
Protests spread across the country, with demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston drawing hundreds of participants. Videos on social media showed large crowds in New York’s Times Square, many draped in Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag. In Los Angeles County, pro-Ukraine demonstrators gathered outside a SpaceX facility, while protesters in Boston held an “emergency rally” at Boston Common, advocating for a just resolution to the conflict.
“Ukraine wants fair peace. Ukraine wants the war to end,” the advocacy group Boston Supports Ukraine wrote on Facebook. “Ukraine wants all of this on fair terms with security guarantees.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky posted footage of his warm reception in London, where crowds gathered outside Downing Street to greet him. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer embraced the Ukrainian leader, underscoring continued international support for Ukraine.