Vice President JD Vance dropped Ohio State University‘s national football championship trophy during a celebration at the White House on Monday.
Vance — an Ohio State alumnus — tried to lift up the trophy, but it appeared to separate from its base as the vice president bobbled it in his hands. With the Marine Corps Band’s rendition of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” still blaring in the background, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, who was standing next to Vance, swiftly recovered the fumble.
Vance later shrugged off the near-turnover, posting on X, “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it.”
The moment came after Vance and President Trump spoke at the celebration, flanked by Ohio State players and coaches. The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 in the title game on Jan. 20 — the same day as Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
In a set of brief remarks, Mr. Trump congratulated the Buckeyes on their victory and praised the state of Ohio more generally: “We won that state in a landslide.”
Vance talked up the team, but also took a moment to needle Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. The two agreed to a friendly wager on an Ohio State-University of Texas playoff game earlier this year, with the loser agreeing to wear the winning team’s jersey and drop off food and beer from their home state — a bet Vance claimed Cruz has “still not paid up on.”
“I don’t like losing any bet, but I really don’t want to lose a bet to Ted Cruz,” Vance said.
Vance, an Ohio native who got his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State before attending Yale Law School, also excoriated an audience member who he claimed wore a hat for Ohio’s archnemesis, the University of Michigan. “I’m about to tell the Secret Service he’s got a dangerous weapon,” Vance said.
