Vice President JD Vance faced a humiliating setback during a family ski trip to Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort in Warren, where he was reportedly ousted by the resort’s management amid a storm of protests. The confrontation, sparked by Vance’s heated Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just a day prior, culminated in a blunt message from the resort owners: “Go ski in Russia.” This dramatic incident, unfolding on March 1, 2025, has intensified the national spotlight on Vance, exposing deep divisions over his and President Donald Trump’s foreign policy stance, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia.
The controversy erupted after Vance and Trump berated Zelenskyy during a White House meeting, accusing him of ingratitude for U.S. aid and dismissing his concerns about Russian aggression. Vance’s remarks, including calling Zelenskyy’s diplomatic visits “propaganda tours,” provoked outrage, especially in liberal-leaning Vermont, which overwhelmingly supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. When Vance arrived at Sugarbush with his wife Usha and their three children, hundreds of protesters lined Route 100 in Waitsfield, wielding signs reading “Vance is a traitor” and “Vermont stands with Ukraine.” Some waved Ukrainian flags, while others criticized the Trump administration’s environmental policies, noting the resort’s reliance on National Forest land threatened by federal job cuts.
The situation escalated when Sugarbush’s management, reportedly incensed by Vance’s role in the Zelenskyy dispute, asked him to leave the resort. According to sources, the owners echoed the protesters’ sentiments, delivering the stinging rebuke: “Go ski in Russia.” Fox News reported that Vance and his family were relocated to an undisclosed location for security reasons, underscoring the intensity of the backlash. One resort employee, Lucy Welch, fueled the opposition by posting a scathing critique of the Trump administration on the resort’s snow report, condemning its environmental negligence and layoffs of over 4,000 Forest Service workers. Though the post was later removed, it amplified the anti-Vance sentiment.
Protesters, numbering over a thousand according to some reports, expressed fury not only at Vance’s foreign policy but also at his perceived alignment with Russian interests. “After what he did to Zelenskyy, he crossed the line,” said protester Cori Giroux to Vermont Public Radio. While a small group of Trump supporters waved MAGA flags, the overwhelming sentiment was hostile, with signs like “Hillbilly go home” referencing Vance’s memoir. Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott urged respect for Vance’s family, noting his young children, but the plea did little to quell the demonstrations.
This incident underscores the broader tensions within the Republican Party and the nation, as Trump and Vance’s isolationist stance on Ukraine clashes with calls for continued support against Russia’s invasion. The Vermont episode, marked by the resort’s unprecedented expulsion of a sitting vice president, has become a flashpoint in the debate over America’s global role. As Vance departed, one local’s words to NBC 5 captured the mood: “This is Vermont. You don’t belong here.” The fallout from this clash promises to reverberate, shaping perceptions of Vance’s tenure and the administration’s foreign policy.
