vice president JD Vance is giving Team USA some unsolicited advice as the athletes compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you represent the country, you represent Democrats and Republicans,” Vance, 41, said. CNN and other journalists on Wednesday, February 11. “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 talk politics.”
Earlier this month, JD and his wife, the First Lady Usha Vanceattended the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan, with little fanfare.
During NBC’s broadcast of the event, the couple could be seen holding American flags while cheering on Team USA during the Parade of Nations. When it was shown on the stadium’s jumbotron, the couple were greeted with cheers. for loud boos from the crowd, according to the NBC broadcast.
Team USA snowboarder Chloe Kim addressed recent disparaging comments made by President Donald Trump about US Olympian Hunter Hess. “My parents being immigrants, this one definitely hits very close to home,” Kim, 25, told reporters at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday, February 9. “I think that at times like these it is very important to (…)
In recent days, several past and current Team USA Olympic athletes have opened up about the often confusing experience of representing a country with which they don’t always agree politically.
While JD said it’s not uncommon for athletes to express their own opinions, he hopes their focus will remain on their respective sports.
“Yeah, you’re going to have some Olympic athletes talking about politics. I feel like that happens at every Olympics,” he shared. “But most of the Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job. (They) certainly have the support of the whole country, and I think I recognize that the way to unite the country is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the president of the United States, but to play your sport and represent the country well.”
The vice president added: “When the Olympics enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback.”
JD Vance
Kevin Lamarque – Pool/Getty ImagesBefore the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, freestyle skier Hunter Hess opened envelope representing the United States amid the country’s current polarizing political climate.
“It brings up mixed emotions right now to represent the United States,” Hess, 27, said at a news conference on Friday, February 6. “It’s kind of hard. Obviously there’s a lot of things I’m not a big fan of. … Just because it carries the flag doesn’t mean it represents everything that’s going on in the US.”
summer olympic Ilona Maherwho is part of a group of content creators at the Milano Cortina Games, also shared his perspective on supporting his country.
President Donald Trump has a message for Team USA skier Hunter Hess after the athlete discussed how difficult it is to represent the US amid the country’s current political climate. “U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess, a real loser, says he is not representing his country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump, 79, wrote (…)
“When I say, ‘Go to America!’ I am not condoning what is happening in my country,” Maher, 29, wrote Instagram on Tuesday, February 10. “I say, ‘Go to the US!’ for all the athletes who I think are a beautiful representation of what America should be. Those who follow a dream like many of their ancestors who dreamed of a better life and came to America for it.”
A total of 245 gold medals will be awarded to the winners of 116 Olympic and 79 Paralympic events over the coming weeks.
As of Wednesday, Team USA had already won 11 medals, including four gold medals.