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Protests erupt after JD Vance’s controversial Oval Office exchange with Zelensky

03.03.2025 13:44
Demonstrations have spread across the U.S. after Vice President JD Vance’s widely criticized remarks during a tense meeting between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
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According to the BBC, Vance accused Zelensky of disrespecting the U.S., while Trump told the Ukrainian leader to "make a deal with Russia or we are out."

The exchange sparked international backlash and prompted protests in several cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston, where demonstrators voiced support for Ukraine and opposition to the Trump-Vance administration’s stance.

In Vermont, protesters lined a road in Waitsfield holding pro-Ukraine signs along the route Vance and his family were expected to take on their way to a ski resort.

In response, the family reportedly relocated to an undisclosed location. Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican who has distanced himself from Trump, urged people to be respectful, but many demonstrators argued that Vance had "crossed the line" with his comments.

As BBC points out, Vance, who has three young children with his wife Usha, has not addressed the protests publicly. Meanwhile, counter-protesters backing Trump and Vance also gathered in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Below is the full transcript of Friday’s nearly 50-minute discussion in the Oval Office:

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Source: BBC/X/@SimonOnAir/@vermontpublic/@DalrympleWill/C-SPAN