Contentious White House Encounter Sparks Pro-Ukraine Rallies in US- wna24

Protests in support of Ukraine have erupted across some parts of the United States following a heated encounter in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump , Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting, which turned contentious on Friday, has prompted demonstrations in several cities, as supporters of Ukraine react to what they view as an “ambush” of the Ukrainian leader. It is unlikely that these protests will help Ukraine. They might, in fact, harm Ukraine, as Trump’s base will feel offended that some people in US care more about a distant country, than say, parts of America that are known as fly over states. 

In Waitsfield, Vermont, hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday morning. Organized by the Mad River Valley chapter of Indivisible, the demonstration was initially planned to oppose the vice president’s visit to the state during a family ski trip. Many attendees, waving Ukrainian flags and holding signs that read “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment,” were reportedly motivated by the explosive Oval Office exchange.

“After what he did yesterday, he crossed the line,” said protester Cori Giroux to Vermont Public Radio. Meanwhile, Fox News aired footage of the protesters, though signs containing messages critical of Vance were blurred.

The confrontation at the White House, which saw Trump insist that Zelenskyy should negotiate a deal with Russia or face the consequences of further isolation, has drawn strong reactions. Some U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, described the incident as an “ambush” of Zelenskyy by Trump and Vance. However, there were also calls for decorum; Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican who has never supported Trump’s bids for office, urged residents to welcome Vance and his family respectfully during their visit.

The fallout from the meeting was not confined to Vermont. Pro-Ukraine protests were reported in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston as demonstrators expressed their support for Ukraine. In Times Square, videos on social media showed large crowds carrying the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag. In Los Angeles County, a group rallied in front of a SpaceX facility, while Boston demonstrators held an “emergency rally” at Boston Common calling for “fair peace” and security guarantees for Ukraine.

As mentioned earlier, all these protests will only make the Trump administration unsympathetic to Ukraine. Laura Ingraham, a journalist sympathetic to the Trump administration, wrote on X “Ignore all the blue and gold virtue signaling. The most telling question is: How many of them are willing to send their own sons and daughter to fight?”. 

Vice President JD Vance himself, reacted to a post from a columnist who suggested that US can and should supply arms to Ukraine indefinitely, by mocking him and writing “Actually, we can’t”.