Martina Navratilova sends scathing message to JD Vance, accuses VP of 'lying' about pro-Ukraine protestors chasing his daughter

Martina Navratilova has delivered a chastening reaction to US Vice President JD Vance's claim about him and his baby daughter being chased by pro-Ukraine protestors. Navratilova, a fierce critic of Vance and the Donald Trump-led US government, suggested that the Vice President's controversial claim was a blatant lie.

On Saturday, March 8, Vice President JD Vance took to X and alleged that pro-Ukraine protestors followed him and his three-year-old daughter and shouted at them when they were out for a walk. Vance also claimed that he tried to have a reasonable conversation with the protestors to resolve the situation peacefully. The 40-year-old concluded his post by calling out people who would harass a three-year-old for a political protest.

"Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of “Slava Ukraini” protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared. I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.)," Vance wrote.

"It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s**t person," he added.

However, later, after Vance's claim went viral, a video surfaced on X, showing protestors on the same street the Vice President claimed that he and his daughter had been 'chased'. The user who originally posted the video opined that the protest site was closed off by the police, which would have made it impossible for the protestors to engage in the acts as claimed by Vance. A fellow user echoed this opinion.

Former WTA No. 1 and 18-time singles Major champion Martina Navratilova took notice of the posts and then delivered her stinging reaction, writing:

"Wow. Pretty low, JD, even for you"

A pro-Vance user didn't take kindly to Martina Navratilova's reaction and issued a critical response in the direction of the tennis legend.

"Sounds as though you are ok with a child being g harassed by an angry set up mob. That’s really low in my book," the user wrote.

Navratilova's reply came soon, with the 68-year-old maintaining her dismissive stance on Vance's allegations.

"Except it didn’t happen. They were way too far to scare anyone. Try again. JD lied," Navratilova replied.

The controversial claim comes following Vance's much-talked-about verbal back-and-forth with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Oval Office in the presence of Donald Trump. Navratilova had reacted harshly to that particular fiasco as well, going as far as to hint that the entire meeting was staged by the Trump administration, with Zelenskyy and Ukraine ultimately bearing the brunt.

"Total setup" - Martina Navratilova on Donald Trump and JD Vance's heated meeting in The Oval Office

Martina Navratilova (Source: Getty)

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance collectively accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of "gambling with World War III" among other things during their recent meeting in The Oval Office. Zelenskyy made a swift exit from The White House soon after the meeting ended, raising serious concerns about the US' allegiance amid the devastating Russia-Ukraine conflict.

One of the narratives that subsequently surfaced suggested that Trump and Vance's verbal attacks and accusations during the meeting were pre-meditated. Martina Navratilova agreed with this narrative, which also claimed that it was an engineered conflict that would allow Trump to side with Russia going forward.

"This was a total setup," Martina Navratilova wrote in reaction to a post, which was shared by a now-suspended account.

The US has poured billions into Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion of its East-European neighbor. According to Trump and the majority of Republicans and their supporters, the European Union must now step up to assist Ukraine instead of the US being the country's chief financial backer.

Trump maintains that the Russia-Ukraine conflict wouldn't have begun had he been the US President at the time (February 24, 2022) instead of Joe Biden.