Protests against the Trump administration broke out across the US on Saturday after an unprecedented oval office clash that fostered tensions between Donald Trump and JD Vance with Ukrainian President Volodimia Zelensky.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Waitsfield, Vermont on Saturday morning, opposed the vice president’s visit to the state for a ski trip with his family.
The demonstration was planned earlier this week by Indivisible’s Mad River Valley Chapter, a grassroots organisation group, but additional protesters said they had the motivation to take part after seeing a fighting White House meeting with Vance and Trump’s Zelenskyy on Friday.
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Protesters held signs that read “Vermont stand with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment,” but many were in solidarity waving the Ukrainian flag. Fox aired a video of the protesters, but displayed a message against Vance, obscuring signs in Ukraine’s favor.
“After what he did yesterday, he crossed the line,” protester Koli Gillu told Vermont Public Radio.
On Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican who refused to vote for Trump on one of three White House runs, issued a statement calling on the Vermonters to respect Vance and his family during his visit.
“We hope they have the opportunity to welcome them to Vermont and experience our condition and what makes Vermonter special,” he said.
Vance, who admitted he had never been to Ukraine on Friday, fled to a private location to avoid protesters, but some commentators pointed out that Zelensky, who had stayed in Ukraine during the Russian invasion, was still back in Kiev, where he was still under attack.
The protest follows a controversial conflict in the oval office, with the US president telling Ukrainian leaders to “or we left” with Russia. At one point, Trump accused Zelensky of not showing sufficient appreciation for US military and political aid, and warned that he was “gambling with World War III.”
Zelensky retorted that Ukrainians did not want to accept a ceasefire with Russia without security guarantees, as Russian president Vladimir Putin repeatedly violated previous ceasefire agreements, while Ukrainians did not want to accept a ceasefire with Russia without security guarantees.
Following the exchange, European leaders, along with the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, posted messages of support for Ukraine.
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The leading Democrats also gathered by Zelensky’s side with Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy to call an oval office called the “ambush” of the Ukrainian president by Trump and Vance.
The active meetings protested in cities and towns across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles and Boston, and attracted hundreds of people to express their support for Ukraine and Zelensky.
A video posted to social networks shows hundreds of protesters gather in Times Square in New York, many carrying Ukraine’s blue and yellow flags on their backs. In Los Angeles County, Crane crowds gathered in front of SpaceX’s facility, and Boston protesters held an “emergency rally” for Ukraine’s “fair peace” in Boston Common.
“Ukraine wants fair peace. A group written by Ukraine on Facebook said: “Ukraine wants all of this on fair terms, using security assurances.”
On his side, Zelenskyy posted a video of his warm reception in London on social networks, showing a crowd of supporters lined up on the streets outside Downing Street, where he was accepted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
