Vance in Milan: Olympics ‘One of the Few Things That Unite Americans’/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, calling the Games a unifying force for Americans. He will travel next to Armenia and Azerbaijan to support a U.S.-brokered peace deal. The trip blends patriotic symbolism with strategic diplomacy amid a domestically focused election year.
Vance’s Olympic Trip: Quick Look
- JD Vance leads U.S. delegation at 2026 Milan Winter Olympics
- Calls the Games “one of the few things” uniting America
- Scheduled to watch U.S. women’s hockey vs. Czech Republic
- Delegation includes Usha Vance, Marco Rubio, Olympic legends
- Trip also includes stops in Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Aims to reinforce U.S.-brokered Caucasus peace deal
- Peace corridor dubbed “Trump Route” part of agreement
- Vance’s trip aligns with symbolic vice-presidential diplomacy
- White House narrowing international travel ahead of midterms
Vance in Milan: Olympics “One of the Few Things That Unite Americans”
A Patriotic Message from Milan: Deep Look
MILAN (AP) — Vice President JD Vance arrived in Italy on Thursday to lead the U.S. delegation to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, offering athletes a message of unity during an era of political division.
“This competition is one of the few things that unites the entire country,” Vance said during a visit with Team USA athletes. “The whole country — Democrat, Republican, independent — we’re all rooting for you and cheering for you.”
With his wife and children by his side, Vance described the Olympics as a highlight of his vice presidency and a rare moment of national harmony.
From Hockey Rinks to Diplomatic Routes
Vance is scheduled to watch the U.S. women’s hockey team play against the Czech Republic in a preliminary round on Thursday, marking the start of his weeklong trip that blends sportsmanship with international diplomacy.
After the Games, Vance will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries where the Trump administration helped broker a major peace agreement in 2025 — a deal aimed at ending more than four decades of conflict in the Caucasus.
Olympic Delegation Includes Diplomats and Legends
At Friday’s opening ceremony, Vance will lead a high-profile delegation that reflects both sports and statecraft. Joining him will be:
- Usha Vance, Second Lady of the United States
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta
- Olympic champions including Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Apolo Ohno, and Evan Lysacek
“My wife is not a sports fan,” Vance admitted, “but she obsessively makes us watch the Olympics every two years.”
A Tradition of Vice Presidential Presence
By attending the Milan Games, Vance follows in the footsteps of Joe Biden (Vancouver 2010) and Mike Pence (Pyeongchang 2018), both of whom represented the U.S. on the Olympic stage.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris notably did not attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to the Biden administration’s diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights record.
Next Stop: Postwar Diplomacy in the Caucasus
After Milan, Vance will pivot from sports to geopolitics as he visits Armenia and Azerbaijan — nations emerging from decades of bitter conflict.
The peace deal, shepherded by the Trump administration, established new transportation links and economic cooperation, including the creation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor meant to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory.
Vance’s task is to reinforce U.S. commitment to the agreement and help oversee its implementation.
Echoes of Past Missions
This diplomatic assignment echoes Vance’s October 2025 visit to Israel, where he reinforced U.S. support after a ceasefire ended intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
Since taking office, Vance has also traveled to France, Germany, India, Greenland, the U.K., and Italy — including a visit with Pope Francis before his passing and a later meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
Why VPs Go Where Presidents Don’t
Vance’s trip illustrates a familiar tradition in U.S. foreign policy: vice presidents stepping into roles that presidents, especially in election years, often skip.
Former VP Mike Pence visited countries like Mongolia, Georgia, and Montenegro, delivering symbolic messages of U.S. support. In one memorable moment in 2011, then-VP Biden was gifted a horse while visiting Mongolia.
According to Marc Short, former chief of staff to Pence, these trips “are a function of what the president likes — or doesn’t like — to do.”
“They serve a purpose,” Short said, “especially when representing the United States abroad requires a high-level official and the president stays focused at home.”
Domestic Focus Limits International Engagement
This may be one of Vance’s only international trips of 2026, as the Trump administration narrows its focus on domestic policy in the lead-up to the November midterm elections.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles signaled last month that both Trump and top Cabinet members would prioritize domestic travel and campaign-related events over foreign engagements this year.
A Diplomatic Balancing Act
From the Olympic torch in Milan to peace diplomacy in Yerevan and Baku, Vance’s journey underscores the symbolic and strategic importance of the vice presidency in the Trump White House.
He may be taking the “road less traveled,” but for the vice president, that road is lined with both pageantry and high-stakes foreign policy.
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