Vice President JD Vance stirred controversy on Wednesday, Feb. 11, after urging Olympic athletes to stop “popping off about politics” while defending President Donald Trump’s ongoing clash with American freestyle skier Hunter Hess during a press gaggle in Azerbaijan.
Speaking to the traveling press corps, Vance offered unsolicited guidance to Team USA competitors at the Winter Olympics in Italy, suggesting they should focus on national unity instead of using their First Amendment rights to criticize the administration.
His remarks followed President Trump’s decision to label the 27-year-old Hess a “real loser” after the skier shared that he had “mixed emotions” about representing the U.S. at the Games. Vance defended Trump’s comments, telling reporters that athletes who step into political debates should be prepared for responses.
“Most Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job, or 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 represent the country well,” Vance said.
Hess is among a growing list of Team USA athletes speaking out against administration policies, contributing to escalating friction between the White House and American Olympians competing in Milan.
Vance traveled to Azerbaijan via Armenia to help advance a U.S.-mediated agreement intended to resolve the decades-long dispute between the two nations. Before arriving in Baku, he attended the Olympics’ opening ceremony with his wife, Usha, where a crowd of 65,000 at San Siro stadium loudly booed and jeered when he appeared on screen.
Vance downplayed the moment during the eight-minute gaggle, insisting the media overstated the negative reaction. He said he had “a great time at the Olympics” and praised the people of Milan as “great,” claiming only a small portion of the crowd was displeased with his presence.
At the same press availability, Vance also weighed in on the racist video controversy involving President Trump, who posted and later deleted a video on Truth Social that depicted animated versions of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes late Thursday night, February 5.
Echoing defenses often used by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Vance pointed to time zone differences and a packed schedule as reasons for his delayed response. He argued that Trump had not watched the full video before sharing it and defended the president’s refusal to apologize afterward, dismissing the backlash as “not a real controversy.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had earlier dismissed criticism of the video as “fake outrage,” while Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he “didn’t see” the racist imagery but also claimed he “didn’t make a mistake.”
The vice president’s remarks add to a turbulent stretch for the administration, which has faced criticism on several fronts. Trump recently bragged about refusing invitations to Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Maryland Governor Wes Moore—the nation’s only Black governor, whom Trump described as “foul-mouthed”—for an upcoming National Governors Association event at the White House.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi drew attention during a Capitol Hill appearance after arriving with prepared insult flash cards to hurl at critics while declining to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein and the Justice Department’s handling of related records. Republican Representative Thomas Massie revealed the prepared cards, noting that Bondi had to flip through them because she couldn’t memorize the lines.
Senator Bernie Sanders reacted to the administration’s recent behavior by posting: “Mr. President, no one is required to bow down to you.”
As the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics roll on, tensions between the White House and outspoken U.S. athletes continue to grow—intensified further by Vance’s latest remarks.
