Vice President JD Vance had an awkward moment Monday when he accidentally broke Ohio State’s national championship trophy during a White House celebration.
The Buckeyes were visiting to celebrate their 2024 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship win when the incident happened. Vance tried to lift the trophy, but it slipped out of his hands and broke into two pieces.
Star running back TreVeyon Henderson jumped in quickly to catch part of the trophy before it hit the ground. But the base still fell and crashed to the floor. Vance looked panicked and bent down to try and fix it, then gently placed it back on the table.
Trying to laugh it off later, Vance posted on X: “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it.”
Vance is a longtime Ohio State fan. He went to the university for two years and graduated in 2009. Before becoming Vice President under Donald Trump, he served as a U.S. Senator for Ohio.
He may not have known that the trophy comes in two parts, and it’s usually handled by officials before being handed to players and coaches. The trophy, made of 24-karat gold, bronze, and stainless steel, has a football that lifts up from the base.
When he was elected Vice President in 2024, Vance joked about skipping the inauguration to watch the championship game. That year, Ohio State beat Notre Dame 34–23 to win their first title since 2014.
It’s safe to say no one expected the VP to fumble the celebration quite like this.
Watch the clip below:
The CFP National Championship Trophy falls apart as VP JD Vance tries to hold it aloft at the White House. pic.twitter.com/XYmZRnCsK0
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) April 14, 2025
