MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha flew into Milan on Thursday on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Vance said he would be “rooting for” Team USA.
Vance will meet with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, according to the vice president’s office.
Vance, wearing a blue zip-up jacket with a U.S. flag on his arm, was greeted by Tilman Fertitta, the ambassador to Italy, on the tarmac at Malpensa Airport.
Usha Vance was also dressed casually in a white fleece with the Stars and Stripes on the back, as well as the five-ring Olympic logo.
TV footage showed the couple being welcomed at the airport with a round of applause from a few dozen athletes.
“The whole country — Democrat, Republican, Independent — we’re all rooting for you, we’re cheering for you, and we know you’re going to make us proud,” Vance said.
Making a joke, he added that although his wife, the Second Lady, is not usually a sports fan, she becomes completely absorbed in the Olympics every two years and insists they watch together.
Vance said she had been that way since they first started dating, noting that the Games’ ability to captivate someone not usually interested in sports shows how uniquely unifying they are for the country.
The couple was then joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was wearing a blue suit and a red pullover. They posed for a family photo before departing.
The Vice President and Secretary of State Rubio are expected to attend the opening ceremony in the San Siro soccer stadium on Friday evening.
The International Olympic Committee is hoping the ceremony will not be marred by jeers against Americans, and will be a show of respect for athletes from around the world.
There are concerns spectators could boo the American team or politicians after news of the presence of analysts from a department that falls under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sparked anger in Italy.
ICE officials will not conduct any policing on Italian streets, Italy’s interior minister Matteo Piantedosi said on Wednesday, dismissing political outrage over their presence for the February 6-22 Games as baseless.
(Writing by Keith Weir and Giselda VagoniEditing by Ed Osmond)
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