Several thousand spectators who turned up for a Thursday afternoon hockey game in Milan’s western suburbs may have gotten a sneak preview of the 2028 Republican ticket when US vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio attended the United States women’s Olympic opener. With one hockey game already postponed because of norovirus, Olympic organizers could have been forgiven for hoping to avoid any other sudden waves of nausea inside the secondary rink across town.
Vance is in Italy to lead the official US delegation at Friday’s opening ceremony, joined by second lady Usha Vance, Rubio and billionaire Tilman Fertitta, the US ambassador to Italy and owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The group watched Thursday’s game from the second and third rows at center ice behind the scorer’s table alongside Olympic gold medal-winning hockey sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando.
Maybe it was the roughly four dozen US Secret Service agents forming something close to a Roman testudo around Vance’s party that tempered any potential negative reception. More likely, it was the far more seductive phenomenon of celebrity gravity. Nearly everyone within eyesight of the vice-president – including volunteers, arena staff, private security and working media – appeared to have a phone raised, recording the moment as he made his way to his seat.
The US Olympic delegation in Milan – which also includes organizers involved in planning the 2034 Winter Games in Utah – is operating in what officials privately describe as a heightened diplomatic posture, aware the Games function as both sporting event and global political stage.
Both Vance and Rubio are expected to attend Friday night’s opening ceremony at the San Siro. Olympic officials have quietly expressed hope the ceremony will unfold without political demonstrations directed at American athletes or officials.
Some of that concern stems from Italian political reaction to reports that analysts connected to an agency within the US immigration enforcement structure would be present at the Games in an advisory capacity. Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi said those personnel would not perform any law enforcement role on Italian streets, dismissing criticism of their presence as politically driven.
Any fears of spectators jeering the Star-Spangled Banner were effectively moot Thursday afternoon. Neither anthem was played before the preliminary round game between the United States and the Czech Republic. Had they been, Vance would likely have missed them; he arrived midway through the first period.
It was less clear whether the arena DJ was having a bit of fun when a techno remix of the Trump campaign anthem YMCA played moments before the United States took the ice in their crisp blue jerseys.
Not long after the US contingent settled into their seats, Vance rose to applaud when Alex Carpenter scored the opening goal for the Americans. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird blasted across the arena sound system as US fans stood and waved flags.
Anticipation of a vocal crowd reaction to the high-profile political presence had largely failed to materialize. Ticket-holders showed little response when Vance and Rubio slipped into the stands midway through the first period. At one point, Vance was seen quietly joining fans in a chant of “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!”
On the ice, the Americans appeared largely unaware of the moment unfolding behind them. Veteran forward Hilary Knight said afterward she and her teammates did not notice Vance’s arrival.
For long stretches, the day felt closer to Olympic theater than geopolitics. Earlier Thursday, Vance and his wife arrived in Milan ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony. According to the vice-president’s office, he is scheduled to meet Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni during the visit.
Vance arrived wearing a blue zip-up jacket with a US flag patch on the sleeve and was greeted by Fertitta on the tarmac at Malpensa Airport. Usha Vance wore a white fleece featuring the Stars and Stripes across the back alongside the Olympic rings. Television footage showed the couple being welcomed by a group of American athletes waiting nearby, several applauding as they stepped off the plane.
Speaking with athletes shortly afterward, Vance framed the Olympics as a rare national unifier, telling competitors Americans across the political spectrum were rallying behind them. “The whole country – Democrat, Republican, Independent – we’re all rooting for you,” he said. “We’re cheering for you, and we know you’re going to make us proud.”
He joked that while the second lady is not typically a sports fan, she becomes fully absorbed in the Olympics every two years and insists they watch together, something he said had been true since they first started dating. The anecdote, he suggested, reflected the Games’ ability to capture the attention of people who otherwise pay little attention to sport.
Rubio joined the couple shortly afterward. The group paused for photographs before departing for Olympic meetings and venue visits.
Earlier in the day, Vance also met members of several US freestyle skiing teams, greeting athletes individually, placing credential passes around several necks and asking where they were from. He told athletes he had taken up skiing in recent years and asked what they were most excited about heading into the Games. After brief conversations, the group posed for photos.
Inside the arena later that afternoon, though, the focus remained on hockey. The US women controlled early play against the Czechs, pushing possession deep into the offensive zone and generating sustained pressure before closing out a 5-1 victory. Vance, seated with his wife and three children, alternated between watching the ice and scanning the crowd, the posture of a visiting dignitary aware he was being watched almost as closely as the game itself.
