Crowds gathered in Vermont on Saturday to protest Vice President JD Vance’s visit to a local ski resort, the day after his explosive Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Protesters held signs that said “Vance is a traitor go ski in Russia” and “Stand with Ukraine.” Crowds gathered in a Vermont town on Saturday to protest Vice President JD Vance’s visit to a local ski resort, the day after his explosive Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Protesters lined a main thoroughfare in Waitsfield, Vermont, located near the Sugarbush Resort where Vance and his family were vacationing. They held signs that said, “Vance is a traitor go ski in Russia,” “Trump serves Putin” and “Vance disgraces our country,” among other fiery messages. A small group of protesters also gathered at the Sugarbush Resort, though a spokesperson for the resort said it was largely a “smooth day overall” at the slopes. “There were a handful of protestors at the resort throughout the day, but all were peaceful and none were disruptive,” said John Bleh, a public relations and communications manager for the resort. The demonstration was planned ahead of the Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting to “protest the destructive and illegal actions of the Trump/Vance administration,” according to an announcement posted by the Mad River Valley chapter of the activist group Indivisible. But many signs expressed support for Ukraine and rebuked Trump and Vance’s treatment of Zelenskyy. The clash erupted Friday at the White House when Zelenskyy visited Washington, D.C., to complete a deal to give the U.S. access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine as part of a broader effort to end the three-year-old war, which started when Russia invaded its neighbor.
via cnbc: JD Vance blasted on Vermont ski trip for Zelenskyy clash
sieeh auch: More than a thousand people protest Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Vermont While most people demonstrating around the Mad River Valley expressed concern regarding the current administration’s policies and direction, others showed up to support the vice president. In the wake of Vice President JD Vance’s ski trip to Sugarbush resort this weekend, the Mad River Valley was transformed into a hotbed of protests against the administration of President Donald Trump. In the largest planned demonstration Saturday morning, Vermonters and visitors stood along a stretch of Main Street by the Mad River Green in Waitsfield toting protest signs and flags that expressed concerns ranging from the state of democracy to climate change to LGBTQ+ rights. A stream of vehicles sporting similar signage drove by honking and waving, joining in on the morning rally. Protest organizers estimated the turnout in Waitsfield ranged between 1,000 and 3,000 people. Ginny Sassaman, a protest organizer from the Indivisible Calais group, said many Vermonters are fearful under the Trump and Vance administration’s policies and she feels “democracy is in peril.” However, Sassaman said protesting is a central form of resisting, along with voting and legal actions.
