There was a time when representing your nation at the Olympic Games meant something profound. Athletes trained for years, gave up normal lives, and wept openly when their flag rose during medal ceremonies. The stars and stripes carried weight—not just for the athlete wearing them, but for millions of Americans back home who saw their values and sacrifices reflected in that moment.

Something has gone sideways in recent years. A growing number of athletes now treat national pride as negotiable, patriotism as outdated, and the American flag as little more than an inconvenient uniform requirement.

From Breitbart:

Eileen Gu, the California-born Olympian who has chosen to compete for Communist China instead of the United States, has taken strong exception to President Trump’s criticism of American skier Hunter Hess.

In an interview with The Athletic, Gu, 22, said she found the president’s critique of Hess inconsistent with the spirit of the Games.

“I’m sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games,” the two-time gold medalist told The Athletic.

The 22-year-old freestyle skier was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She attended American schools, trained on American slopes, and soaked up every opportunity this nation provides. Then she made a decision that tells you everything about where her loyalties actually rest.

A Voice From Beijing’s Corner

Gu abandoned Team USA to compete for Communist China. Now, wrapped in the red of the People’s Republic, she has the nerve to scold the President of the United States about the “spirit of the Games.” An American citizen, actively competing against her own countrymen for an authoritarian government, decided the world stage was the perfect venue to trash her birth nation’s leader.

President Trump’s original comments targeted Hess, who had publicly complained about representing America. The President called him a “real Loser” and added, “If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team.” Straightforward. Patriotic. The kind of statement that used to be unremarkable.

But Gu spotted an opening. Rather than keeping quiet—something she’s remarkably skilled at when convenient—she rushed to defend Hess and took a not-so-subtle shot at the Commander-in-Chief. “As someone who has got caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” she offered.

Caught in the crossfire? Please. She built the crossfire and then stood in it for the cameras.

The Price of Silence

Before any American accepts moral guidance from Eileen Gu about Olympic spirit, let’s examine the nation she so proudly represents. China operates one of the most suffocating surveillance states in human history. Beijing has constructed a monitoring apparatus that tracks, controls, and punishes its 1.4 billion citizens for the smallest perceived infractions. This isn’t metaphor. It’s literal, systematic oppression.

Then there’s the matter of the Uyghurs. Human rights organizations have extensively documented China’s brutal repression of this predominantly Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. We’re talking forced labor camps. Mass detention facilities. Credible accusations of genocide. Watchdog groups have even connected some of Gu’s lucrative endorsement deals to companies allegedly tied to these labor operations.

And speaking of endorsements—here’s where things get interesting. Gu pocketed an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone, mostly from Chinese corporations like the Bank of China. That’s quite the payday for turning your back on your homeland.

What the Flag Really Means

The Olympics were designed to showcase human excellence and, yes, healthy national pride. Athletes carrying their country’s flag bore the hopes and values of their people. A veteran responding to Hess’s original comments captured this truth perfectly: “Some of us wore that flag on our arm and buried our friends under it.”

Eileen Gu surrendered any standing to lecture Americans about Olympic values the moment she traded her country for a communist payday. She can prattle about unity and the beauty of athletic competition until she’s blue in the face. Her words carry zero weight when spoken in service of a government that crushes human freedom as official policy.

Real Olympic spirit isn’t found in athletes who abandon their homeland for profit and then criticize it from a comfortable distance. It lives in those who wear their nation’s colors with genuine pride—even during difficult seasons, even when they disagree with leadership, even when walking away would be easier and more profitable. That’s honor. That’s patriotism.

And it’s something Eileen Gu will apparently never grasp.

Key Takeaways

• Eileen Gu, born and raised in California, abandoned Team USA to compete for Communist China.
• She publicly criticized President Trump while representing a regime that systematically oppresses millions.
• Gu earned $23 million from Chinese endorsements yet maintains total silence on Uyghur persecution.
• Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom labeled her a “traitor” for her selective moral outrage.

Sources: Breitbart, Operation Sports