Eileen Gu has set the Winter Olympics 2026 on fire with her phenomenal performance in the freestyle skiing sport.
However, JD Vance was not impressed with her and insinuated that the American-born skier should have opted to represent the United States at the Milano Cortina 2026.
The five-time Olympic medalist is undoubtedly one of the most popular athletes in the Winter Olympics, thanks to her impressive performance, which helped her secure two silver medals.
However, the Vice President made his stance clear on athletes who were born in America but choose to represent a different country.
During an interview with Fox News, Vance lambasted her, saying, “somebody who benefited from our education system would want to compete with the US.”
He emphasised he will root for American athletes only, saying, “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.”
Vance on Eileen Gu: I think that somebody who benefited from our education system would want to compete with the US.
I will root for American athletes and I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I am rooting for.
pic.twitter.com/dp1nDxRrdw
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 17, 2026
The comments seemed to take an aim at Eileen Gu, who was born in America, but chose to represent China. Some netizens labeled her a “traitor,” and claimed her act is “treasonous.”
JD Vance clarified that he is unsure what her status should be and left it to the Olympic committee. Following her qualification to the finals, Gu had a brief interview with USA Today, where she decided to address Vance’s criticism.
She replied, “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.” When the interviewer asked if she felt “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics at the moment,” the athlete acknowledged, “I do.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! ⛷️🤩
FIVE-TIME Olympic medallist Eileen Gu continues to break ceilings as she becomes the most decorated female freestyle skier in Olympic history, following two silver medals at @MilanoCortina2026! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vSnVEDpfBW
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 19, 2026
She explained how numerous athletes choose to represent a different country, but people seemed to harbor ill feelings toward her. Gu hammered down critics who hate China and see it as a “monolithic entity” but brushed off their remarks.
“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. People are entitled to their opinions,” Gu added.
Despite her dual nationality, she has defended her actions, stating, “I’m just as American as I am Chinese,” as per CNN. Nevertheless, Eileen Gu was not letting the hate comments get to her. She is laser-focused on winning her third medal, totalling six medals.
She claimed her performance in the upcoming finals will be a bet on herself and how she was painting a picture of the struggles that others were not going through.
