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finance minister Scott Bessent weighed in on the controversy over American-born Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s decision to compete for China over the United States
During an interview on Pakinomist’ “The Will Cain Show” on Friday, Bessent suggested Gu “sold out” on her decision to run for America’s biggest adversary, comparing her to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.
“It was like this young Olympic athlete that the vice president talked about earlier on the previous show. America was great for her, she sold out to China. America was great for Mr. Soros,” Bessent said.
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Eileen Gu of Team People’s Republic of China falls in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 on day thirteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Livigno Air Park on February 19, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Bessent was referring to comments made by Vice President JD Vance in response to a question about Gu during a Tuesday interview on Pakinomist’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States and enjoyed our education system, the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I hope they will compete with the United States,” Vance said on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”
“So I will root for American athletes. I think part of it is people identifying themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m going for in this Olympics.”
Gu responded to Vance’s comments on Thursday.
“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu said of Vance’s comments, according to USA Today.
Gu was also asked if she currently feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain part of American politics” after her contest on Thursday.
EILEEN GU RECEIVES FLASHBACK FOR COMMENTING ON TRUMP’S STATEMENT WHILE REPRESENTING CHINA
“I do,” she told USA Today. “So many athletes compete for another country … People only have a problem with me doing that 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.
“And also because I’m winning. Like if I didn’t do well, I think they probably wouldn’t care and that’s ok with me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
Gu has previously said she was “physically assaulted” for her decision to represent China.
“The police were called. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed,” Gu told The Athletic. “I’ve been through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”
Gu has been the subject of global criticism since her decision to represent China dates back to the original decision in 2019 and her first Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. This year, criticism has increased as she has won two silver medals and even responded to a questions about President Donald Trump criticizes American Olympic hunter Hess for being critical of the current state of America.
“I’m sad that the headline overshadowing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games. It’s really contrary to everything the Olympics should be,” Gu told reporters on Monday. “The whole point of sports is to bring people together… One of the very few common languages, the human body, the human spirit, the competitive spirit, the ability to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit. How wonderful is that?”
Gu also claimed that she herself had been “caught in the crossfire”.
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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the freestyle skiing awards ceremony for the women’s freeski big air event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, on February 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“As someone who has been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” Gu said. “I hope they can ski to their very best.”
Gu will compete in the women’s freestyle halfpipe final on Saturday after winning silver in her first two events.
