They Aren't Saying Boo-Erns

From The BBC:

The US vice-president, JD Vance, was greeted by a chorus of boos when he appeared at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan on Friday, although American viewers watching NBC’s coverage would have been unaware of the reception.

As speedskater Erin Jackson led Team USA into the San Siro stadium she was greeted by cheers. But when the TV cameras cut to Vance and his wife, Usha, there were boos, jeers and a smattering of applause from the crowd. The reaction was shown on Canadian broadcaster CBC’s feed, with one commentator saying: “There is the vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha – oops, those are not … uh … those are a lot of boos for him. Whistling, jeering, some applause.”

The Guardian’s Sean Ingle was also at the ceremony and noted the boos, as did USA Today’s Christine Brennan. However, on the NBC broadcast the boos were not heard or remarked upon when Vance appeared on screen, with the commentary team simply saying “JD Vance”. That didn’t stop footage of the boos being circulated and shared on social media in the US. The White House posted a clip of Vance applauding on NBC’s broadcast without any boos.

Friday was not the first time there have been moves to stop US viewers from witnessing dissent against the Trump administration. At September’s US Open, tournament organizers asked broadcasters not to show the crowd’s reaction to Donald Trump, who attended the men’s final. Part of the message read: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showing any disruptions or reactions in response to the president’s attendance in any capacity.”

Thus ends the American Century. 

Yes, our democracy will endure. But America is no longer seen as a model for the rest of the world. We are now seen the way we see others: through the politics and personalities of our leaders. While America's foreign policy has often led to disastrous outcomes, never before has there been a presidential administration so hated throughout the globe. These were not dignitaries or foreign ambassadors expressing their displeasure; these were citizens of the 93 nations in attendance for an international sporting event. American politicians have frequently attended the Olympic games from George W. Bush personally being in Beijing in 2008 to Michelle Obama attending the 2012 games in London to Jill Biden supporting the American delegation in Paris in 2024. But never before has the American political figurehead in attendance been so publicly jeered. And never before has a presidential administration had to censor that exact reaction. 

This is what happens when your country's politics negatively impact your friends and allies. The Trump Administration's "America First" policy has turned the country inward, removing the beneficial mutual relationships we had with so many nations. The asinine tariff policies, where Trump slaps down tariffs anytime a country or world leader hurts his feefees, have been a starting point, but other administrative decisions have also led to the open disdain we saw over the weekend. Clearly, the proposed Greenland invasion didn't earn us any friends, and the administration's constant belittling of NATO hasn't helped either. Neither has the administration's unilateral action in Venezuela, nor its threat that Cuba is next. In addition, by shutting down USAID, the Trump Administration eliminated an effective global program that saved nearly 92 million lives over the past two decades. By looking inward, the current administration has turned its back on decades and in some cases centuries-old relationships that helped stabilize the modern world. Those in attendance in Milan expressing their displeasure of the current American regime are unquestionably in the majority. 

The United States will never truly recover from Trump and MAGAism. Yes, Democrats will again attain power in the near future. But the world is realizing that America is no longer the unquestioned Good Guy on the global stage. When all it takes is 7 states to swing left to right, the world is left with with a major American political party that is more than authoritariam-curious; it has now fully embraced authoritarianism and is open about its desire for single party control. That control as we've seen is one where allies are bullied, manipulated, and coerced into pledging allegiance to America rather than having mutually beneficial diplomatic relationships that have been constant throughout our history. Even at its worst, America could still be counted on to respect its friends and alllies. Now with that ship having sailed, America is seen as nothing more than the physical manifestation of Donald Trump: a rich, wealthy entity that is out for itself and nobody else. 

It deserves to be booed and so much more.