Scott Bessent says Olympic skier Eileen Gu 'sold out' with decision to compete for China

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed successful connected the contention implicit the American-born Olympic skier Eileen Gu's determination to vie for China implicit the U.S. 

During an interrogation connected Fox News' "The Will Cain Show" connected Friday, Bessent suggested Gu "sold out" with her determination to vie for America's top adversary, comparing her to billionaire Democrat donor George Soros. 

"It was conscionable similar this young Olympic jock that the Vice President was talking astir earlier connected the erstwhile show. America was large to her, she sold retired to China. America was large to Mr. Soros," Bessent said. 

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Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China falls successful the Women's Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 connected time thirteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Livigno Air Park connected Feb. 19, 2026 successful Livigno, Italy.  (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Bessent referenced comments made by Vice President JD Vance successful effect to a question astir Gu during a Tuesday interrogation connected Fox News' "The Story With Martha MacCallum."

"I surely deliberation that idiosyncratic who grew up successful the United States of America who benefited from our acquisition system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this state a large place, I would anticipation they privation to vie with the United States of America," Vance said connected "The Story With Martha MacCallum." 

"So, I'm going to basal for American athletes. I deliberation portion of that is radical who place themselves arsenic Americans. That's who I'm rooting for successful this Olympics."  

Gu responded to Vance's comments connected Thursday.

"I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet," Gu said of Vance's comments, per USA Today.

Gu was besides asked if she presently feels "like a spot of a punching container for a definite strand of American politics" aft her contention connected Thursday. 

EILEEN GU GARNERS BACKLASH FOR COMMENTING ON TRUMP'S STATEMENT WHILE REPRESENTING CHINA

"I do," she said, per USA Today. "So galore athletes vie for a antithetic country. ... People lone person a occupation with maine doing it due to the fact that they benignant of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they conscionable hatred China. So it's not truly astir what they deliberation it's about.

"And also, due to the fact that I win. Like if I wasn't doing well, I deliberation that they astir apt wouldn't attraction arsenic much, and that's OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions."

Gu has antecedently said she was "physically assaulted" for her determination to correspond China.  

"The constabulary were called. I’ve had decease threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed," Gu told The Athletic. "I’ve gone done immoderate things arsenic a 22-year-old that I truly deliberation nary 1 should ever person to endure, ever."

Gu has been the taxable of planetary disapproval since her determination to correspond China dating backmost to the archetypal determination successful 2019, and her archetypal Winter Olympics successful Beijing successful 2022. This year, that disapproval has ramped up, arsenic she has won 2 metallic medals and adjacent responded to a question astir President Donald Trump criticizing U.S. Olympian Hunter Hess for being captious of the existent authorities of America.

"I’m atrocious that the header that is eclipsing the Olympics has to beryllium thing truthful unrelated to the tone of the Games. It truly runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be," Gu told reporters Monday. "The full constituent of athletics is to bring radical together… One of the precise fewer communal languages, that of the quality body, that of the quality spirit, the competitory spirit, the capableness to interruption not lone records, but particularly successful our sport, virtually the quality limit. How fantastic is that?"

Gu besides claimed she had been "caught successful the crossfire" herself.

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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos aft the awarding ceremonial of the freestyle skiing women's freeski large aerial lawsuit astatine the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games successful Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026.  (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

"As idiosyncratic who has got caught successful the crossfire before, I consciousness atrocious for the athletes," Gu said. "I anticipation that they tin skis to their precise best."

Gu volition vie successful the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe last connected Saturday aft winning silvers successful her archetypal 2 events.  

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