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American-born Team China Olympic skier Eileen Gu came under enormous scrutiny on social media this week after making comments about President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of U.S. Olympic hunter Hess.
Gu, who was born in San Francisco, is the highest-paid Winter Olympic athlete in the world, earning an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone in partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China, and Western firms. Gu has said she represents China for her mother, who was born there.
Gu has never spoken out against China’s alleged human rights abuses, including the nation’s alleged systematic campaign of repression against Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
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Gold medalist Eileen Gu of China celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s freestyle skiing big air at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 8, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
However, Gu has commented on Trump’s criticism of Hess for expressing “mixed feelings” about representing the United States in Milan Cortina.
“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”.
“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.”
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Eileen Gu celebrates winning the gold medal after competing in the Freestyle Skiing Women’s Halfpipe Final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Genting Snow Park. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today Sports)
Gu’s comments have sparked a backlash on social media, with many critics pointing out that Gu has never spoken out against China for its alleged human rights abuses.
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom blasted Gu in a lengthy X post, calling her a “traitor.”
“Eileen Gu is a traitor. She was born in America, raised in America, lives in America and chose to compete against her own country for the worst human rights abuser on the planet, China. She built her fame in a free country, then chose to represent an authoritarian regime while cashing in on endorsements associated with watchdogs who were forced to disappear into mass incarceration and Kanter is disappearing.” wrote.
“It’s not neutrality. It’s a choice. She chose to play for a country that is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of its own people and that is running concentration camps right now, instead of the country where she was born and given the opportunity.”
Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Sobolik also pointed out Gu’s silence on China’s alleged persecution of Uyghurs and the political imprisonment of individuals opposed to Xi Jinping.
“Listen, it’s fine for athletes to criticize the US president. It’s also not that interesting because it happens all the time. What’s interesting about this story … is that Eileen Gu is an American skier who competes for China. No mention of whether the CCP’s genocide of Uighurs ‘goes against everything the Olympics should be.'” No criticism of Xi Jinping for the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, Pastor Ezra Jin, Gulshan Abbas or China’s many other political prisoners,” Sobolik wrote on X.
“If you criticize America but won’t say a word about the CCP, that says a lot about you. If you’re an American athlete who takes advantage of the freedom this country has given you to represent an authoritarian regime, that says even more.”
Republican communications specialist Matt Whitlock echoed similar criticisms of Gu in an X post.
“Can’t think of a worse voice on this topic than an athlete who threw away his US citizenship for the Chinese Communist Party’s endorsement deals. Does Eileen Gu have any criticism of Xi Jinping for genocide, slavery and arresting dissidents?” Whitlock wrote.
Several other X users spoke out against Gu.
Trump has been one of the most discussed figures at this year’s Winter Olympics, and several athletes have offered suggestive criticism of his handling of the United States, including Hess.
Trump made a scathing post on social media, calling Hess a “real loser.”
“U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess, a real loser, says he won’t represent his country in the current Winter Olympics,” he wrote.
“If that’s the case he shouldn’t have tried out for the team and it’s a shame he’s on. Very hard to root for someone like that. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Hess originally said of representing the United States: “It’s mixed feelings representing the United States right now, I think. It’s kind of hard. Obviously, there’s a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
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China’s Eileen Gu reacts at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. Monday 9 February 2026. (David Davies/PA Photos via Getty Images)
“I think for me it’s more that I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people who represented it before me, all the things that I think are good about the United States. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m carrying the flag doesn’t mean I’m representing everything that’s going on in the United States.
“I just want to do it for my friends and my family and the people who support me in coming here.”
