Scott Bessent criticizes Olympic skier Eileen Gu over China’s decision

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessen intervened in the controversy over American-born Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s decision to compete for China instead of the United States.

During an interview on Pak Gazette’ “The Will Cain Show” on Friday, Bessent suggested Gu “sold out” on her decision to run for America’s biggest adversary, comparing her to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.

“She was like this young Olympian that the vice president was talking about on the previous show. The United States was great to her, she sold out to China. The United States was great to Mr. Soros,” Bessent said.

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Bessent referenced comments made by Vice President JD Vance in response to a question about Gu during an interview Tuesday on Pak Gazette’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”

“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America and benefited from our educational system, from the freedoms that make this country a great place, I hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”

“So, I’m going to root for American athletes. I think part of that is people who identify as Americans. “That’s what I support in these Olympic Games.”

Gu responded to Vance’s comments on Thursday.

“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu said of Vance’s comments, according to USA Today.

Gu was also asked if he currently feels “like a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics” after his competition on Thursday.

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“Yes,” he said, according to USA Today. “A lot of athletes compete for a different country… People just have a problem with them doing it because they lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just I hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.

“And also because I win. If I wasn’t doing well, I think they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s fine with me. People have a right to their opinions.”

Gu has previously said she was “physically attacked” for her decision to represent China.

“They called the police. I received death threats. They stole my bedroom.” Gu told The Athletic. “At 22 years old, I’ve been through some things that I truly believe no one should ever have to endure.”

Gu has been the subject of global criticism since her decision to represent China, dating back to the original decision in 2019, and her first Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. This year, that criticism has increased, as she has won two silver medals and even responded to a question about President Donald Trump criticizing American Olympian Hunter Hess for being critical of the current state of the United States.

“I regret that the headline that is overshadowing the Olympics has to be something so foreign to the spirit of the Games. It really goes against everything the Olympics should be about,” Gu told reporters on Monday. “The goal of sport is to bring people together… One of the few common languages, that of the human body, that of the human spirit, the competitive spirit, the ability to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit. How wonderful is that?”

Gu also claimed that she herself had been “caught in the crossfire.”

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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the award ceremony of the women’s freestyle big air freestyle skiing event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

“As someone who has been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” Gu said. “I hope they can ski as well as possible.”

Gu will compete in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final on Saturday after winning silver medals in her first two events.