The opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics drew a large audience, but also sparked controversy when Vice President J.D. Vance was booed by the crowd. The event, held on Friday, February 6, 2026, attracted 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, according to preliminary ratings reported by Variety. The ceremony, which took place in Milan's San Siro stadium, featured performances by dancers from the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala.
The booing of Vice President Vance occurred when he appeared on the stadium's big screen. The reaction was described as "unmistakable" by Time, with jeers breaking out among the crowd of 65,000 people. While President Donald Trump reportedly brushed off the reaction, a recent YouGov poll, released on February 6, suggested that negative views of the U.S. were prevalent in Western Europe.
The opening ceremony itself was seen as a positive event, especially when compared to previous Olympic ceremonies. Time noted that the event offered "good vibes," contrasting it with the challenges of past games, including frigid temperatures in South Korea in 2018, a fanless Tokyo in 2021 due to COVID restrictions, and the protocols of the Beijing games in 2022.
In other news, President Trump's Board of Peace is scheduled to hold its first meeting on February 19. The board, which Trump unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, will discuss the next stage of a ceasefire in Gaza and fundraising for the reconstruction of the destroyed territory, according to Time. Initial members include representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and several other nations. However, some U.S. allies have expressed reservations about joining the board, fearing it could undermine the United Nations.
President Trump also faced criticism after sharing a video on his Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. The video, which was deleted from Trump's account, included an AI-generated clip set to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and was part of a longer video promoting conspiracy theories about voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election, according to Time. The depiction of the Obamas as apes is a centuries-old racist trope.
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