Vice President JD Vance Arrives to Support Team USA

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Milan on Thursday to cheer on American athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics, describing the global sporting event as a rare moment that brings the entire country together.

Speaking to members of Team USA shortly after landing in Italy with his family, Vance said the Olympics are one of the few occasions when political divisions fade and Americans unite behind a common cause.

“It is one of the few things that unites the entire country,” Vance told the athletes. “The whole country—Democrat, Republican, independent—we’re all rooting for you and we’re cheering for you.”

The trip marks Vance’s first major international visit since taking office as vice president. He is leading President Donald Trump’s official delegation to the Winter Games, combining sports diplomacy with more traditional foreign policy meetings.

Sports and Diplomacy Combined

After his time in Italy, Vance will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan to support a peace agreement between the two nations that was brokered by the White House last year.

In Milan, however, the focus is squarely on the Olympics.

Vance plans to attend Thursday’s preliminary hockey match between the U.S. women’s team and the Czech Republic. He told athletes that being able to represent the United States at the Games is a highlight of his time in office so far.

“I’m incredibly excited to be here,” he said. “This is a privilege, and we’re proud of everything you’ve done to get to this point.”

High-Profile American Delegation

At Friday’s opening ceremony, Vance will lead a high-profile American delegation that includes his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta. Several former Olympic champions will also be part of the group, including hockey stars Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, speedskater Apolo Ohno, and figure skater Evan Lysacek.

Vance joked that while he considers himself a big sports fan, his wife is the true Olympic enthusiast in the family.

He said Usha Vance “is not a sports fan” but “obsessively makes us watch the Olympics” every two years, citing that as evidence of the way the competition “really brings the country together. Everybody is rooting for you guys and everybody's cheering for you.”

A Continuing Tradition

The vice president’s visit continues a long tradition of American leaders attending the Games. Former Vice President Joe Biden led the U.S. delegation to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and Mike Pence traveled to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, however, because the Biden administration imposed a diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights record.

While the Olympics are the centerpiece of Vance’s trip, they are only the first stop.

Next Stop: Caucasus Diplomacy

Following the closing ceremonies, he will head to Armenia and Azerbaijan, where the Trump administration is working to strengthen a fragile peace deal aimed at ending decades of conflict between the two neighboring countries.

The agreement, reached last year with U.S. mediation, calls for reopening transportation routes, expanding economic cooperation, and creating a new transit corridor known as the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” The project is expected to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan region through Armenian territory.

Vance’s mission will be to reinforce U.S. support for the deal and encourage both sides to continue moving forward.

The Role of the Vice President Abroad

It is a role that fits the traditional duties of American vice presidents, who are often tasked with diplomatic outreach to regions that may not be at the top of a president’s travel list.

Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, said such trips are a key part of the job.

“Foreign travel for a vice president is often a function of what the president likes to do—and not like to do,” Short explained. “It’s important that the United States be represented by the highest official available. In many cases, that’s the vice president.”

Over the years, vice presidents have visited places that presidents rarely go, from Mongolia to the Baltic states, carrying out symbolic and strategic diplomacy on behalf of the White House.

For Vance, the current trip blends both sides of that role: celebrating American athletic excellence on the world stage while also advancing U.S. interests abroad.

But at least for this week, he said, the priority is simple.

“It’s about supporting our athletes,” Vance told Team USA. “You represent the very best of America—and we couldn’t be prouder.”