JD Vance sent a message to the U.S. athlete delegation after comments about the Trump administration’s crackdown and the increased presence of ICE agents in U.S. states.
“Yes, you’re going to have some Olympic athletes who talk too much about politics. I think this happens at every Olympics,” said the vice president in a video shared by CNN on X, formerly Twitter.
“My advice to them would be to try to unite the country, and when you represent the country, you’re representing both Democrats and Republicans,” JD Vance continued.
“You’re there to practice a sport, you’re there to represent your country and, hopefully, win a medal. You’re not there to talk too much about politics,” he commented.
JD Vance’s remarks came after some athletes, such as freestyle skiers Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess, and figure skater Amber Glenn, expressed their views on the internal political situation in the U.S.
Lillis said at a press conference on Friday (6) that he was “heartbroken” over what was happening in the country.
Hess said he had mixed feelings about representing the U.S.
“For me, I’m representing my friends and my family at home… all the things I believe are good about the U.S.,” he opened up. “Just because I wear the flag, doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s happening in the U.S.”
Amber Glenn posted photos of herself and her fellow skater Alysa Liu showing their gold medals, and mocked the comments she had received from haters on social media.
“If ‘woke’ means people who use their platforms to actively advocate for marginalized communities in the country they’re representing… then yes, of course?” she responded.
The criticism comes after JD Vance was booed by the crowd at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which are being held in Italy.
VP Vance tells reporters “when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback,” adding that most recognize “the way to bring the country together is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the President … but it’s to play your sport” pic.twitter.com/O1HSK7k2nR
— Kit Maher (@KitMaherCNN) February 11, 2026
Photos: Instagram @amberglenniceskater @teamusa @hunterhess10 and X @DemocraticWins. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
