Vice President JD Vance drops Ohio State’s championship trophy during awkward White House moment

Vice President JD Vance stole the spotlight on Monday — not just for his speech, but for a slip-up that instantly went viral. While honoring the Ohio State Buckeyes' national championship win on the White House South Lawn, Vance, a proud alumnus of the university, accidentally dropped the College Football Playoff’s national championship trophy in front of a crowd that included the team, President Donald Trump, and members of the media.

The moment occurred as the ceremony drew to a close. In an enthusiastic gesture, JD Vance attempted to lift the impressive 3-foot trophy from a table onstage. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State’s standout running back, assisted by holding the top while Vance took the base. However, the trophy, a modular piece consisting of a 26.5-inch "ascending virtual football" made of 24-karat gold and stainless steel atop a 12-inch bronze base, unexpectedly split apart — and the base dropped with a loud thud.

Gasps and laughter rippled through the audience as Henderson and another player managed to hold onto the top half of the trophy. Quick to recover from the embarrassing mishap, Vance picked up the base and later joined head coach Ryan Day in posing with the gleaming upper portion of the prize.
True to form, the Vice President laughed off the incident online, quipping, “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it.” The moment, shared across social platforms, drew chuckles and headlines, and even drew comparisons to other infamous trophy blunders in sports history — from Maria Sharapova’s U.S. Open trophy toppling off in 2006 to Real Madrid's bus runover of the Copa del Rey in 2011.
Despite the awkward turn, the event itself was filled with pride and celebration. Vance, who graduated from Ohio State in 2009 with a degree in philosophy and political science, welcomed the team alongside President Trump. The Buckeyes presented both with custom helmets and jerseys, adding a personal touch to their White House victory lap.
As the U.S. Marine Band played “We Are the Champions,” the spirit of celebration never wavered — even if the trophy didn’t stay in one piece. The gaffe may have been unexpected, but it underscored JD Vance’s light-hearted persona, making the Vice President’s trophy fumble a uniquely memorable highlight of an already historic day.
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