Vice President JD Vance said he hopes athletes who grow up in the United States choose to compete for Team USA but declined to suggest any formal action regarding skier Eileen Gu’s decision to represent China at the Winter Olympics.
Vance made the remarks Tuesday during an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, who asked him about criticism Gu has faced from some Americans over her choice, Mediaite reported.
MacCallum noted that some critics have described Gu’s decision as “treasonous,” pointing out that she was born in San Francisco to a Chinese immigrant mother and raised in the United States. The anchor also referenced China’s human rights record, including its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, and asked Vance whether Gu’s Olympic status should be changed.
“What do you think her status should be? Should it be changed?” MacCallum asked.
“Well, look I have no idea what her status should be. I think ultimately that’s up to the Olympics Committee, I won’t pretend to wade into that,” Vance said.
He added that while decisions about eligibility rest with Olympic authorities, he personally hopes athletes who benefit from American freedoms and institutions choose to represent the United States.
“I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States 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 said.
“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,” he added.
Gu, 22, was born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area. She attended Stanford University. Her mother is from Beijing. Gu began competing for China in 2019. She previously won two gold medals and one silver medal in freestyle skiing while representing China at the 2022 Winter Games.
This week, she won a silver medal in the women’s freeski big air competition while competing for China at the Winter Olympics in Milan.
Gu has become one of the highest-paid athletes in the Games, with numerous sponsorship deals in China.
President Donald Trump has also weighed in on Olympic athletes who have expressed hesitation about representing the United States. He previously called skier Hunter Hess a “real loser” after Hess said he had “mixed emotions” about competing for Team USA.
On Thursday, Gu responded publicly to Vance’s remarks. Speaking to USA Today after advancing to the freestyle skiing finals scheduled for Feb. 21, Gu addressed the vice president’s comments directly.
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” she said.
When asked whether she felt like “a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics at the moment,” Gu replied, “I do.”
“So many athletes compete for a different country,” she said. “People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about,” she said.
Gu has previously said her decision to compete for China reflects her family background and her desire to promote winter sports in the country.
She also told USA Today that she was physically attacked on Stanford’s campus last year by an individual upset that she did not represent Team USA.
“It was pretty serious,” she said, describing the incident as occurring in “broad daylight.”
The debate surrounding Gu’s nationality and Olympic representation highlights broader tensions involving national identity, geopolitics and international competition.
Olympic rules allow athletes with dual nationality to choose which country they represent, subject to eligibility requirements set by governing bodies.
Vance did not call for any changes to those rules, instead reiterating his personal preference.
“I’m going to root for American athletes,” he said.
