VP Vance Blasts Team USA

Politics is bleeding into the Olympics again—and this time the blowback is forcing a real debate over whether Team USA should be a national honor or just another activist stage.

Quick Take

Reports out of the 2026 Milan Winter Games spotlight athletes publicly airing “mixed emotions” about representing the U.S. during immigration enforcement operations.
President Trump publicly blasted skier Hunter Hess after his comments, escalating a culture clash over patriotism and representation.
Vice President JD Vance urged U.S. athletes to focus on competition, not political commentary, while wearing the flag.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Olympic legend Mike Eruzione argued the Games should not become a political “soapbox.”

What Triggered the New Olympics Flashpoint in Milan

News coverage of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics shows a familiar tension: athletes who wear “USA” on their uniforms while publicly criticizing the country’s domestic policies. American freestyle skier Hunter Hess said he had “mixed emotions” about representing the United States amid heightened immigration enforcement operations, according to Newsmax reporting. President Trump responded with a sharp public rebuke, calling Hess “a real Loser,” which ignited wider discussion about what representing the country should mean.

The controversy did not stay limited to Hess. Newsmax reported that other athletes—Eileen Gu, Chloe Kim, Chris Lillis, and Amber Glenn—also addressed the tension of wearing the American flag while disagreeing with U.S. policies. That pattern matters because it shifts attention from athletic excellence to political grievance. The available reporting frames this as an ongoing dynamic: the Olympics attract global media, and athletes face incentives to turn press attention into messaging.

Vance’s Message: Represent the Flag, Don’t “Pop Off”

Vice President JD Vance’s public guidance to Team USA was direct: focus on sport, not politics, and avoid “popping off about politics” while representing the United States. That stance reflects a basic expectation many Americans share—if athletes accept the privilege of competing under the U.S. flag, they should prioritize performance and national unity over culture-war statements. The Newsmax coverage presents Vance’s comments as a response to athletes using Olympic visibility to spotlight disagreements.

The reporting also underscores a practical concern: political statements from Team USA can become a tool for foreign media narratives that paint America as illegitimate or uniquely oppressive. Vance’s approach, as described, aims to protect the mission of the Olympic team and keep the focus on competition rather than ideological signaling. Based on the sources provided, the administration’s position is not framed as censorship; it is framed as expectations and discipline tied to national representation.

Officials Push Back on Reporters Turning Competition Into a Culture War

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox addressed the political crossfire more from the media angle. At a press conference, Cox said he “hates” questions that mix politics with athletic competition, pushing back on the apparent effort to pull athletes into the day’s political fights. That matters because press dynamics often drive the controversy: if reporters constantly prompt political takes, athletes will feel pressure to answer in ways that reward activists and punish restraint.

Newsmax’s reporting suggests the Milan storyline isn’t only about what athletes choose to say—it’s also about what the press chooses to demand. For Americans exhausted by years of politics injected into schools, workplaces, and entertainment, the Olympic arena is one of the last places they want to see ideological tests. Cox’s comments highlight that the issue is not just “athletes speaking,” but how an institution can be nudged into activism through media incentives.

The “Soapbox” Debate and the Limits of the Available Record

Olympic legend Mike Eruzione argued the Olympics should not be used as a “platform or soapbox” for political grievances. That position draws a clear line: Olympic participation is not just personal expression; it is representation of a nation. The provided research also includes a limitation: it does not contain the specific story alleged in the prompt about a Newsmax guest wanting to “start vetting” Olympians for political views, only broader coverage of the Olympics politics dispute.

Newsmax Guest Wants to ‘Start Vetting’ Olympians For Their Political Viewshttps://t.co/d5QZa2mb81

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 19, 2026

Without that specific guest segment in the provided citations, the safest conclusion from the documented reporting is narrower: officials and prominent voices are urging a return to sports-first standards, while some athletes publicly frame national representation through the lens of domestic political disagreement. The debate now sits in the open—whether Team USA should function as a unifying symbol, or whether the country’s highest-profile international uniform will keep getting treated as a backdrop for personal political branding.