Former ESPN personality Sarah Spain grumbled on her podcast recently that sitting near “demon” Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Winter Olympics in Italy made her feel “ill.”
The “Good Game with Sarah Spain” host described her proximity to the top Trump administration officials – about 20 feet away, according to Spain – as one of the “low lights” of covering the US women’s hockey team as they demolished Czechia at the Milano Cortina games last week.
“Twelve minutes into the first period, that area suddenly is awash with large men in suits with earpieces,” Spain said of a previously empty part of the arena that suddenly filled with Secret Service agents, “and here comes JD Vance carrying a child and a bunch of security and eventually Marco Rubio.”
“When I see JD Vance’s eyeliner face, I literally feel ill,” the former “Around the Horn” panelist complained.
Spain added: “I said, ‘I feel like I just looked at a demon,’ like the devil, and I don’t even believe in that.”
“My body felt like when you have been spooked and you have a little tingle that feels like, ‘Oh, something’s not right,’” she continued, “or like when you get in a situation and you feel like, ‘Oh, some of the energy’s bad, something could go wrong here, maybe I should get out of here,’ or ‘something’s dangerous, this doesn’t feel right.’”
“That’s what my body felt like. And I was in no way prepared to see him.“
To hammer home the point, Span later reiterated that Vance exuded “demon energy.”
The former ESPN radio host went on to complain that the security detail protecting Vance, Rubio and their families obstructed her view.
“It made me so angry,” Spain said of seeing Vance, “and not just because his f—king Secret Service were blocking half the ice … like, we’re trying to watch a hockey game.”
“You ruined it.”
Spain also whined about the photographers, who she claims turned their full attention to Vance and Rubio when they showed up.
“The photographers were turned, back to the ice, not watching the action, taking pictures of the presidential delegation doing God knows what,” she fumed.
Spain and her co-host, Alex Azzi, then carefully dissected post-game comments from the American players, in an effort to determine whether their excitement upon learning the vice president was watching was “genuine.”
The vice president, second lady Usha Vance and Rubio led the US delegation at the 2026 games opening ceremonies last week.
“I hope you just soak it all in. I hope you win as many medals as possible, but most of all, I just hope you enjoy the experience,” Vance told members of Team USA ahead of the games. “The whole country — Democrat, Republican, Independent — we’re all rooting for you, and we’re cheering for you, and we know you’re going to make us proud.”
