Vice President JD Vance sparked controversy on Wednesday after telling Olympic athletes to stop “popping off about politics” while defending President Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with American freestyle skier Hunter Hess during a press gaggle in Azerbaijan.
Standing before the traveling press corps, Vance offered unsolicited advice to Team USA athletes competing at the Winter Olympics in Italy, suggesting they should prioritize national unity over exercising their First Amendment rights to criticize the administration.
The Vice President’s comments came after President Trump called 27-year-old Hess a “real loser” following the skier’s admission that he had “mixed emotions” about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics. Vance defended the 79-year-old president’s reaction, telling reporters that athletes who enter the political arena should expect pushback.
“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 joins a growing number of Team USA athletes who have spoken out against the administration’s policies, creating tension between the White House and American Olympians competing in Milan.
Vance was in Azerbaijan via Armenia to help advance a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between the two countries. Before arriving in Baku, he attended the Olympics opening ceremony with his wife, Usha, where the crowd of 65,000 at San Siro stadium greeted him with unmistakable boos and jeers when he appeared on screen.
The Vice President downplayed the incident during the eight-minute gaggle, claiming the media exaggerated the negative reception. He insisted he had “a great time at the Olympics” and that the people of Milan were “great,” suggesting only a small fraction of attendees disapproved of his presence.
During the same press availability, Vance also addressed the racist video controversy involving President Trump, who posted then deleted a video featuring animated versions of Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes on Truth Social late Thursday night.
Offering a defense similar to those frequently deployed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Vance blamed time zone differences and a busy schedule for not immediately addressing the scandal. He insisted Trump hadn’t watched the entire video before posting it and defended the president’s refusal to apologize after taking it down, dismissing the outrage as “not a real controversy.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously dismissed criticism of the video as “fake outrage,” while Trump himself told reporters on Air Force One that he “didn’t see” the racist content but also claimed he “didn’t make a mistake.”
The Vice President’s comments add to a tumultuous period for the administration, which has faced mounting criticism on multiple fronts. President Trump recently boasted about refusing to invite Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Maryland Governor Wes Moore—the nation’s sole Black governor whom Trump called “foul mouthed”—to a National Governors Association gathering scheduled for later this month at the White House.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi drew attention on Capitol Hill when she showed up with prepared insult flash cards to lob at critics while refusing to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein and the Justice Department’s handling of related documents. Republican Representative Thomas Massie exposed the prepared insults, noting that Bondi had to shuffle through them because she couldn’t memorize the attacks.
Senator Bernie Sanders responded to the administration’s recent actions by posting on social media: “Mr. President, no one is required to bow down to you.”
As the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics continue, the clash between the White House and outspoken American athletes has only intensified—with Vance’s latest salvo pouring fuel on the fire.