Rome, Italy - Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will soon be heading to Italy to attend the Winter Olympics, while President Donald Trump has decided to skip the event.

According to The Hill, the White House revealed Saturday that Vance will be leading an American delegation to attend the opening of the Milan Cortina Games, which kick off on February 6.

Vance will be joined by his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, along with Rubio, US Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, and a group of Olympic gold medalists.

The opening ceremony will take place at the San Siro stadium in Milan and include the Parade of Nations, in which athletes are led by their country's flag bearers.

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Trump's name is not listed in the list of delegation members, which is notable considering his close ties with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

In January 2025, after Trump won re-election and was preparing to re-enter the White House, Meloni visited him at his Mar-a-Lago estate to celebrate his victory.

And that April, Vance traveled to Italy, where he met with Meloni and Pope Francis, who passed away only a few hours later.

The administration's appearance also comes amid escalating tensions over Trump's aggressive foreign policy, particularly his latest threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposed to a US takeover of Greenland.