JD Vance surely knows how to handle awkward situations with his gifted sense of wit and comedy. The Vice President, the second most popular person after President Donald Trump, celebrated the Buckeyes’ NCAA football championship at the White House on Monday.
J.D. Vance, who happens to be a 2009 Ohio State alum, joined the team and President Donald Trump for a ceremonial moment on the South Lawn. The team presented Vance and Trump with custom gear, including a helmet and jersey. However, soon after the felicitation, JD Vance faced an embarrassing moment in front of the crowd.
As per NBC News, while the U.S. Marine Band played ‘We Are the Champions,’ Vance attempted to lift the team’s towering National Championship 3-foot trophy, which happens to be a classy gold, incarcerated design shaped like a rising football. But as he did, the top of the trophy separated from its base and rattled to the ground, forcing Vance to grasp around as it rolled a short distance.
As everyone in the venue chuckled, Vance assembled the base and the top piece with help from Ohio State coach Ryan Day, and the two posed with the remains of the prize. Meanwhile, as the footage and pictures of the awkward mishap went viral across the Internet, Vance took to X (formerly Twitter) and joked, “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy, so I decided to break it.” Several social media users left mocking comments on platforms like YouTube and said, “The trophy is literally America right now” (pun intended).
I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it https://t.co/rS3Vw3BdO6
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 14, 2025
Before the viral awkward moment, JD Vance mocked Ohio State’s old rival, Michigan, joking about an audience member wearing a Michigan hat: “I don’t know who let the guy over in the corner here, in a Michigan hat, into this celebration. I’m about to tell the Secret Service, ‘You’ve got a dangerous weapon, sir.’”
President Donald Trump also delivered a speech where he congratulated the team for winning the 2024 college football championship despite hurdles, including their surprising 13–10 home loss to unranked Michigan. Though he recognized the defeat, he added with a smile, “We won’t talk about it.”
.@POTUS gives a shoutout to the biggest Buckeye fan of all @JDVance👏 pic.twitter.com/IEsHEsvXfN
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 14, 2025
Furthermore, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team represents Ohio State University. It competes in the Big Ten Conference as part of NCAA Division I. The team has played their home games in the Ohio stadium since 1992, and the Buckeyes have won around nine national championships and several other recognitions.
The university has also produced top talents, including Seven players who have won the Heisman Trophy, including Archie Griffin, the only player ever to win it twice. As per the team’s official Wikipedia page, the football team is valued at $2–2.5 billion, the highest revenue football team in the United States.
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On the other hand, JD Vance, who served as a combat correspondent in the U.S. Marine Corps and completed a posting in Iraq, graduated from the Ivy League University, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy in 2009. As per sources, after his graduation, Vance went to Yale Law School, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2013.
Reportedly, this was where he met his now wife and second lady, Usha Vance, who he claimed has been the biggest support throughout his political career.
