Vice President JD Vance spoke out against pro-Ukraine activists who he said harassed him and his three-year-old daughter while they were out for a walk on Saturday. The protesters, who have been critical of the Trump administration’s diplomatic approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, followed Vance and shouted as his daughter became visibly upset.
Vance shared details of the incident on social media, condemning the behavior of those involved. “Today while walking my 3-year-old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared,” he wrote. He described how he approached the group in an attempt to defuse the situation and convince them to move on, adding that most agreed to a conversation. “It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s*** person,” he added.
The confrontation occurred amid ongoing tensions surrounding the Trump administration’s diplomatic negotiations on Ukraine. Since taking office, the administration has been engaged in efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, though progress has been slow. Vance was recently involved in high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which have drawn sharp criticism from pro-Ukraine activists who oppose negotiations that involve both sides.
Demonstrators have ramped up pressure on the administration, targeting both Trump and Vance with protests. In addition to the incident with his daughter, activists were reportedly gathered outside the vice president’s Cincinnati home over the weekend. Local news reports indicated that protesters also pursued Vance and his family last weekend while they were on a ski trip in Vermont.
The Vermont demonstration was organized by Indivisible Mad River Valley, a group that openly opposes the administration’s foreign policy decisions. One of its members, Judy Daly, acknowledged that recent events, including a White House meeting with Zelensky, had energized their activism. “I think [Friday’s] performance at the White House has probably galvanized even more people to come out today,” she stated.
