Who Is Eileen Gu? The Olympian JD Vance Tore Into Is More Visible Than Ever

The 2026 Winter Olympics has been plagued by scandals, but one of the strangest stories to come out of the event is JD Vance's decision to pick a fight with skier Eileen Gu. After getting a less-than-warm welcome, Vance started a feud with Gu, who chose to represent China despite being born and raised in the U.S. Speaking about Gu on Fox News, the vice president said, "I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America."

Gu has faced criticism for her choice to represent China in the Olympics. Since Vance spoke against her, the heat has been turned up as more netizens felt compelled to voice their negative opinions. Others, however, are more supportive. And the reality is that what Gu is doing isn't all that uncommon. According to Yahoo! Sports, 6% of the athletes who participated in the 2018 Olympics competed for countries other than their birth country. Gu made her choice to compete for her mother's country in 2019, telling ESPN how she spent her summers growing up in Beijing.

And when it comes to Vance, Gu handled herself just as gracefully as she handles the slopes. When asked by USA Today to comment on what Vance said, she responded, "I'm flattered. Thanks, JD! That's sweet." After her quip, Gu opened up about the criticism she's faced and added, "And also, because I win. Like if I wasn't doing well, I think that they probably wouldn't care as much, and that's OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions."

Since Eileen Gu made her Olympics debut in 2022 (where she also faced backlash), she has won two gold and three silver medals, making her the most decorated female freestyle skater in Olympic history. Before her glory of winning at the Olympics, Gu was the first woman to land a double cork 1440. Along with the medals, her talents have been well and deservedly rewarded; per Forbes, Gu was one of 2025's highest-paid female athletes in the world, making around $23 million that year — though nearly all of what she earned was from endorsements as opposed to from competing.

When she isn't on her skis, Gu, who also goes by her Chinese name Gu Ailing, may be found on the catwalk. As a model, she has represented a number of companies, including China's Luckin Coffee,  Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, and Tiffany & Co. In 2022, she took her modeling career to the runway for the first time for Louis Vuitton. She is also a student at Stanford University as of writing, though she's faced scrutiny and even danger on campus for choosing to compete for China. Gu told The Athletic she was, "Physically assaulted on the street. The police were called."

Being a public figure, Gu has become accustomed to people like JD Vance taking potshots at her. Gu went viral when, just after making Olympic history at the 2026 games, she was asked, "Do you see these as two silvers gained or two golds lost?" (via YouTube). The athlete laughed at the question and, with a smile, responded, "I'm the most decorated free skier, female free skier, in history. I think that's [an] answer in and of itself."