Vice President JD Vance was widely mocked following his fumble on live television after he attempted to hoist the CFP National Championship Trophy into the air—only for it to break apart in his hands.
After speeches from Trump, Ohio State coach Ryan Day, and Vice President J.D. Vance praising the Buckeyes on the South Lawn, things took a bit of a turn. Vance, an OSU alum, went to hoist the championship trophy like a conquering hero… only to discover it wasn’t exactly built for theatrics.
The golden football-shaped top promptly popped off the black base. Vance fumbled both parts, with running back TreVeyon Henderson swooping in to catch the top mid-air. The base wasn’t so lucky—it hit the ground and rolled away as Vance scrambled to recover it.
As the Marine Corps Band launched into a valiant rendition of “We Are the Champions,” gasps from the crowd nearly drowned them out. Some players visibly winced as the base of the trophy clattered to the ground.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
As pictures and footage of Vance's gaffe went viral, he tried to save face, writing the following on X:
"I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it."
You can see what he wrote below.
But no one was buying it.
It's worth noting that the incident was not the result of a malfunction or damage. The trophy is intentionally designed with two separate components—a golden football-shaped top and a black base—that detach from one another. This allows players and coaches to lift the top portion during celebrations.
Vance appeared unaware of this design feature when he attempted to hoist the trophy on the South Lawn, resulting in the two pieces separating unexpectedly.
While we're glad to know the trophy isn't completely busted, there's little doubt the mishap is representative of the disorder that's largely defined the second Trump administration.
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