Olympic skier Eileen Gu has a message for the vice president of the United States.
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu, 22, told USA Today on Thursday, February 19, after Vice President JD Vance criticized the Olympic medalist for choosing to represent China at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, adding that she feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics at the moment.”
“So many athletes compete for a different country… people only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China,” the athlete continued. “So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.”
Gu added, “And also, because I win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me.”
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu is a five-time Olympic medalist, making her the most decorated athlete at her sport in the history of the games. That means she doesn’t have time for reporters to belittle her accomplishments. After earning a silver medal in the women’s freeski slopestyle on Monday, February 16, she met with the media, […]
Gu, the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history, was born in San Francisco, California, but opted to represent China — where her mother, Yan Gu, is from — prior to competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics,” the athlete wrote via Instagram at the time. “This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make. I am extremely thankful for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Chinese Ski Association for having the vision and belief in me to make my dreams come true. I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings. The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help promote the sport I love.”
Eileen Gu, Vice President JD Vance Getty Images
Earlier this week, Eileen — who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and spent many of her summers in Beijing — opened up to The Athletic about the reason why she ultimately decided to represent China instead of the United States.
“In the U.S. growing up, I had so many idols to look up to,” Eileen told the outlet. “But in China, I feel like there are a lot fewer of those. I’d have a much greater impact in China than in the U.S., and that’s ultimately why I made my decision.”
Vance, 41, criticized the skier — who boats two 2022 halfpipe and big air gold medals and a silver slopestyle medal in addition to her two silver 2026 Winter Olympics medals — for her decision to represent China internationally, telling Fox News on Tuesday, February 17, that he is only rooting for “American athletes.”
“I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United Sates of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance told the outlet at the time. “So, I’m going to root for American athletes, and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for this Olympics.”
Vice President JD Vance is giving Team USA some unsolicited advice as the athletes compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. “My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” Vance, 41, told CNN and other reporters on Wednesday, February 11. […]
Of course, the vice president and President Donald Trump have been critical of outspoken Team USA athletes, too.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump, 79, wrote via social media on February 8 after Hess, 27, admitted it was difficult to represent the United States during the country’s current political turmoil.
“If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” the president added. “Very hard to root for someone like this, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”