Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pence Sits During Korean Delegation at the Olympic Opening Ceremony

Pence Sits During Korean Delegation at the Olympic Opening Ceremony
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Was he protesting North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and his nuclear and ballistic missile program?

The opening ceremonies of the Olympics last night in Pyeongchang were filled with sights both surprising and at times, confusing. North Korea and South Korea temporarily put aside their differences and stood together as a unified Korean team but it was U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's reaction to the Korean delegation's entrance that had most people talking.



Speculation online was high as to whether Pence was sitting out the Korean team's entrance in honor of the American college student Otto Warmbier, who died shortly after being released from prison in North Korea last year, and in support of Warmbier's father, Fred who was also in attendance as a guest of the Vice President or if there was another reason.

Pence spoke about inviting Warmbier's father and what he felt it symbolized:


Others thought Pence wanted to convey a specific message to North Korea:


Though Pence's Olympic visit has been peppered with political posturing targeted at North Korea, including a meeting Friday with North Korean defectors, the inclusion of Fred Warmbier, and his missed attendance a state dinner near the Olympics site, which some have speculated was done, at least in part, to avoid spending time with the North Korean delegation—there were those who disliked what they saw as unsportsmanlike behavior on the part of the VP:




Others found the idea of a Pence protest hypocritical and drew parallels between the Vice President remaining seated in defiant protest (if, that was actually what he was doing) and the kneeling protests held by NFL players during performances of the national anthem on game day.

Taking time to reference his walkout on the kneeling protest at the Colts game back in October:





But there were also those that applauded Pence's actions:



But according to an anonymous White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly but spoke to the Associated Press:

Pence stood only for the U.S. team, despite other people in the box standing and applauding when athletes from the two Koreas walked in together.


More from News

Nicola Coughlan; JK Rowling
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Neutrogena® UK & Ireland; Euan Cherry/Getty Images

'Bridgerton' Star Rips JK Rowling For 'Disgusting' Celebration Of Anti-Trans Court Decision

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has publicly clapped back at Harry Potter author JK Rowling's response to the recent U.K. court decision on trans rights.

The country's Supreme Court recently ruled to exclude trans women from the legal definition of a woman in the U.K.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jasmine Crockett; Donald Trump
MSNBC; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

​Jasmine Crockett Epically Rips GOP With Blunt Comparison Of Trump And Abrego Garcia

During a Sunday appearance on MSNBC, Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett spoke about the administration of Republican President Donald Trump refusing to follow a court order.

In a case that went to the United States Supreme Court, Trump was ordered to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia's release from the CECOT prison in El Salvador and to return him to the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democrats' X Account Epically Shades Hegseth After He Slams Liberal 'Agenda'—And People Are Shook

The official X account for the Democrats called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing amid revelations that Hegseth shared details about U.S. military operations in Yemen using his personal phone in a 13-person Signal group chat that included his wife and brother—despite a prior warning from an aide advising him not to share sensitive information over an unsecure channel ahead of the operation.

That news comes just weeks after Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg reported that he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance, discussing military strategy surrounding war strikes in Yemen.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Slammed After Using Easter Message To Rage At 'Radical Left Lunatics'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he took to Truth Social to wish a "Happy Easter to all" before quickly switching gears to rage at the "radical leftists" that live in his head rent-free.

Trump's post accused leftists of "scheming" to allow dangerous people into the country, a criticism the White House has leveled against those who've condemned their refusal to bring wrongly-deported Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia—who they claim is a "terrorist"— back to the U.S. from a notorious El Salvadoran prison.

Keep ReadingShow less
college graduates in caps and gowns
MD Duran on Unsplash

People Who Got A 'Useless' Degree Explain How Things Turned Out

With most of the student loan program being nothing more than a profit machine for predatory lenders, the focus on attaining a college degree has waned in the United States.

For the Boomers, a secondary education was still something aspirational that most people would never have access to.

Keep ReadingShow less