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Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday addressed the controversy surrounding Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s choice to compete for China rather than the United States.
Vance admitted he had “no idea” what Gu’s status “should be,” during an interview on PK Press Club’ “The Story With Martha McCallum.” But the vice president said he hoped American citizens would choose to compete for the United States on the world stage.
“I have no idea what his status should be, I think it’s ultimately up to the Olympic Committee, I won’t pretend to get into that,” Vance said.
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Silver medalist Ailing Eileen Gu of Team People’s Republic of China looks on during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Freeski Big Air on the tenth day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park on February 16, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America and who has benefited from our education system, the freedoms that make this country a great place, I hope they want to compete with the United States of America. So I’m going to be rooting for American athletes, I think part of that is people who identify as Americans. That’s why I support American athletes.”
Gu has been at the center of international criticism, particularly from Americans, over his decision to represent China at these Olympics. She also represented China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
EILEEN GU GETS REACTION FOR COMMENTING ON TRUMP STATEMENT WHILE REPRESENTING CHINA
China’s Eileen Gu reacts after the second run of the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle Final at Livigno Snow Park on the third day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy, February 9, 2026. (David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)
She grew up in California and went to Stanford, although her mother was a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the United States.
She made the decision to compete for China in 2019. Gu said at the time that it was an “incredibly difficult” decision and that Americans weren’t too keen on her decision given the geopolitical tension between the United States and China.
Gu is the highest paid Winter Olympics global athlete, earning an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone through partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China, and Western companies. Gu said she represented China to her mother, who was born there.
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Eileen Gu of China competes in the second round of the Women’s Freeski Big Air Final on the tenth day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park on February 16, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, another American-born figure skater who now competes for China, received a total of $6.6 million from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving to achieve excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In total, the two men reportedly received nearly $14 million over the past three years.
Gu has never spoken out publicly against alleged human rights abuses in China, including the alleged systematic campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, or the imprisonment of politician Jimmy Lai.
Gu won two silver medals in freestyle skiing at Milan Cortina, in the slicestyle and big air events. She has one last event left, the halfpipe, on Saturday, where she has the opportunity to increase her total.
