By ISABEL BALDWIN, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR and CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Vice President JD Vance put the Winter Olympics opening ceremony embarrassment behind him as he joined boxing star Jake Paul as they cheered on the U.S. women's hockey team.
Vance and the YouTuber-turned-boxer sat next to one another as they watched the Americans cruise to a dominant 5-0 victory over Finland on Saturday.
The Vice President and the Second Family entered during the intermission at the end of the first period, with the Stars and Stripes leading 1-0.
Paul, whose fiancee, speed skater Jutta Leerdam, is representing the Netherlands at the games, joined them shortly after.
Vance sat with his youngest child, daughter Mirabel, on his lap, while his wife, Usha, sported a sweatshirt with 'USA' in big letters and clapped along to Queen's 'We Will Rock You.'
'Vice President Vance had a great time cheering on the U.S. Women's Hockey team, and looks forward to seeing Team USA dominate the Olympic Games over the next few weeks,' a spokesperson for Vance told the Daily Mail.
Throughout the game, Vance and Paul appeared in deep conversation as they shared a laugh amid the American celebrations.
Among those seated near Vance were 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and hockey's twin sisters, Hall of Famers Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando. They were members of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Games.
The Second Family's appearance came less than 24 hours after Vance was met with a chorus of boos as Team USA walked out during Friday's Opening Ceremony.
While spirits were high throughout the event, when Team USA marched through the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, they were met with booing from furious Italian fans inside.
To make matters worse, the jeering only got louder when Vance was shown on screen following recent protests against the deployment of the US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Olympics.
Team USA were lead by flagbearers Erin Jackson, a speed skater, and Frankie del Luca, part of the nation's bobsleigh team, as they entered the stadium.
Despite the boos, both Team USA's athletes and Vance appeared in good spirits as they greeted the gathered fans in attendance.
It wasn't Vance's first appearance at the games. He and his family, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, watched the American women storm to a 5-1 victory against the Czech Republic on Thursday.
Paul's fiancee, speed skater Jutta Leerdam, is representing the Netherlands at the games
The YouTuber-turned-boxer and Vance chatted throughout the US's 5-0 victory
Usha displayed her national pride with a sweater with 'USA' in big letters on the front
Team USA were met with a chorus of boos from furious Italian fans at the Winter Olympics
It came just days after the Vice President sat down for a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the Daily Mail on Tuesday.
He refused to admit any wrongdoing over spreading White House claims that Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis last month, intended to kill law enforcement and let slip a fascinating insight into Trump's chain of command while discussing Nicolas Maduro's capture.
The Winter Olympics is the first stop for Vance on a trip combining diplomacy and sports. He is later stopping in Armenia and Azerbaijan in a show of support for a peace agreement brokered by the White House last year.
Vance told athletes the trip is a highlight of his time in office. 'The whole country - Democrat, Republican, independent - we're all rooting for you and we're cheering for you,' Vance said.
Vance is following in the footsteps of former vice presidents Joe Biden who attended the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and Mike Pence who traveled to Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
Former vice president Kamala Harris did not attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because the Biden administration did not send any diplomatic officials as a boycott over human rights concerns.