JD Vance warned U.S. Olympians to stop popping off about politics after several athletes used the Winter Games stage to criticize President Donald Trump’s policies.
The vice president fired back days after freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillis, figure skater Amber Glenn, and curler Rich Ruohonen raised concerns about turmoil back home.
Vance, who faced boos during the opening ceremony in Italy, brushed off the criticism as predictable.
“Yes, you’re going to have some Olympic athletes who pop off about politics. I feel like that happens every Olympics,” Vance said.
VP Vance on disgraced Olympic athlete Hunter Hess who said he was ashamed to represent the US:
“When you’re representing the country, you’re representing Republicans and Democrats.
You’re there to play a sport, and you’re there to represent your country, and hopefully win a… pic.twitter.com/iYBqtmisRw
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 11, 2026
He urged athletes to remember who they represent when they wear the red, white and blue.
“My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” he continued.
“You’re there to play a sport, and you’re there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics.”
These people are not qualified to represent the United States, Team USA or the American people in any Olympics or competition!
Hunter Hess, Amber Glenn, Chris Lillis, Eileen Gu…
Their U.S. citizenship should be revoked immediately! pic.twitter.com/RUZaXblggx
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) February 7, 2026
Vance cautioned that athletes who enter the political arena should brace for consequences.
“When Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback,” he said.
He argued that the Olympic stage is not the place to attack a sitting president.
“But most Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job, certainly enjoy the support of the entire country, and I think recognize that the way to bring the country together is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the President of the United States, but it’s to play your sport and to represent the country well.”
The comments followed a wave of athlete activism during press conferences in Milan.
Amber Glenn drew national attention after claiming the LGBTQ+ community is facing a “hard time” in America.
“It’s been a hard time for the community overall and this administration. It isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights,” Glenn said.
NEW: USA figure skater Amber Glenn say the queers are having a “hard time” in Trump’s America, fails to give any examples.
“It's been a hard time for the community overall under this administration.”
“I know that a lot of people say, you're just an athlete, like, stick to your… pic.twitter.com/7cDWruMHbt
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7, 2026
She added that the situation extends beyond one group. “And now, especially, it’s not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities.”
Glenn suggested she plans to use her Olympic platform to speak out.
“I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times,” she said, adding that “politics affects us all.”
The backlash to her remarks came quickly. Glenn later claimed she was facing threats and decided to scale back her online presence.
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel,” she wrote on Instagram Stories.
“I did anticipate this, but I am disappointed by it. I will be limiting my time on social media for my own well-being for now, but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
After winning gold on Sunday, Glenn returned to social media with a defiant message.
“They hate to see two woke b*tches winning,” she wrote on TikTok.
NEW: "Pan"sexual Amber Glenn trolls conservatives after winning a gold medal in a team event at the Olympics.
Glenn, who thinks queers are under attack in the United States, was seen posing with her gold medal while playing "Hoes Mad."
"They hate to see two woke b*tches… pic.twitter.com/S6wTVpKRW4
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 12, 2026
“If ‘Woke’ means people who use their platforms to advocate for marginalized communities in the country that they are actively representing…… Then yeah sure?”
Freestyle skier Chris Lillis also weighed in on immigration enforcement.
He referenced Immigration and Customs Enforcement and described feeling “heartbroken.”
“I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect,” Lillis said.
Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess are soft AF. pic.twitter.com/5q6G0M9MCN
— Jim Fannon 🇨🇦 (@jimfannon) February 8, 2026
He added that athletes aim to represent a different image of America.
“I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”
Curler Rich Ruohonen pointed directly to Minnesota, where he lives.
“I’m proud to be here to represent Team USA, and to represent our country. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody. This stuff is happening right, right around where we live,” Ruohonen said.
He cited constitutional protections during his remarks.
“I am a lawyer, as you know, and we have a constitution,” Ruohonen continued, “and it allows us to (have) freedom of press, freedom of speech, protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures, and makes it that we have to have probable cause to be pulled over.”
Rich Ruohonen of Team USA Men’s Curling is proud to represent the United States and wanted to make a statement of his own before the press conference ended about what is happening in Minnesota/US. Ruohonen says he’s speaking as an attorney with 28 years of experience. pic.twitter.com/hpdl5lscTq
— Justin Surrency (@JustinSurrency) February 10, 2026
He declared that events in his home state are unacceptable. “And what’s happening in Minnesota is wrong. There’s no shades of grey. It’s clear.”
Ruohonen also tried to separate policy disagreements from national pride.
“I want to make it clear that we are out here, we love our country. We’re playing for the US. We’re playing for Team USA. We’re playing for each other, and we’re playing for our family and our friends that sacrificed so much to be here today. And that doesn’t change anything.”
He tied his comments to Olympic ideals. “Because what the Olympics means is excellence, respect, friendship, and we all, I think, exemplify that.”
“And we are playing for the people of Minnesota and the people around the country who share those same values. That compassion, that love and that respect,” the curler added.
Hunter Hess ignited the controversy last week when he admitted to feeling conflicted.
HISTORY AT THE #WinterOlympics. 🇺🇸👏
54-year-old curler Rich Ruohonen waited more than 30 YEARS to make his Olympic debut. With the USA's game out of reach, his team subbed him in, making him the oldest American ever to compete at the Winter Games. pic.twitter.com/Pqe91JClmn
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 12, 2026
“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” Hess said.
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
President Trump blasted Hess the next day on Truth Social.
“Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” Trump wrote.