JD Vance condemns disgraceful protests at WNBA Finals, says players need to show more respect

Vice President JD Vance sharply called out WNBA players in the league finals over skipping the national anthem during an interview Wednesday, calling them “disgraceful.”Players from both the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court during the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals, despite a rule in the league’s own rulebook specifically calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.“I think it’s disgraceful,” Vance told host Raymond Arroyo on “Arroyo Grande.” “I think that you should not express some criticism of a public policy of a given politician by disrespecting the country writ large.I mean, those women who play for the WNBA, think of the public safety, think of the incredible wealth and privilege, the amazing jobs that they have.

They have a lot to be grateful to the United States for, and I think that if they had a bit more of a spirit of gratitude, they’d be happier people, and they wouldn’t offend so many people as well.”Vance also appeared to cite Saint Augustine’s idea of Ordo Amoris, a concept from Catholic thought that Vance cited in 2025 to defend administration deportation policies.“I’ve gotten some trouble talking about this, but I’ll just talk about it again,” Vance said.“One of the ways I understand the Catholic understanding is that we have various orders of duty, and you know, our closest and most immediate duty, of course, is to our family and to the people in our immediate circle.

But we, of course, owe duties to the entire world.We owe duties to the stranger.

But I also think a good and coherent understanding of the Christian self is that you are part of a national community.”He added, “Whether you were born in the United States or whether you came here by choice, this is your country.And I think that we’re all meant to love it.

We’re all meant to try to make it the best version of itself.But fundamentally, I think, without love...