Eileen Gu is the most decorated women's freestyle skier in Olympic history, and skis for China. But was born in San Francisco, grew up there, and attends Stanford. And leaked Beijing budget document revealed China paid Gu and fellow American-born athlete Beverly Zhu a combined $14 million over three years.
Responses range from traitor to leave her alone:
1. Traitor (American Conservatives)
Conservatives think she's a traitor.
The political response. VP JD Vance said he'd "prefer" someone who "benefited from our education system" to represent America. Enes Kanter Freedom called her "a traitor" on Fox News. The Federalist argued her case "indicts birthright citizenship and our entire immigration orthodoxy." The $14 million gave the argument its sharpest edge.
It gets personal. Gu has disclosed physical assault and death threats over her decision. The backlash isn't just pundits.
2. Waste of Public Money (Chinese Taxpayers)
The backlash inside China isn't about loyalty. It's about how much she was paid.
The budget anger. When the $14 million figure dropped, Weibo wanted to know why American-born athletes were getting millions in government funding. One widely shared comment: "For two golds and one silver, we let her rake in 200 million yuan and quietly allowed dual citizenship." Beijing's censorship of the discussion suggests the government understood the anger could spread.
The citizenship double standard. China prohibits dual citizenship, but Gu has never publicly renounced her American passport. She applied for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in 2021, which is limited to U.S. citizens. Ordinary Chinese citizens who can't hold two passports notice the exception.
3. Her Choice (Fellow Athletes)
Fellow Olympians have been Gu's most forceful defenders.
The athlete view. AJ Edelman, who competed for Israel: "It is incredibly inappropriate for anyone to demand service of someone in sport for any particular reason that is not of that athlete's own will." ESPN's Dan Wetzel argued her choice is fundamentally "all-American" — individual agency, pursuit of heritage.
The rules allow it. Olympic Charter Rule 41 lets athletes with dual citizenship choose their country. Victor Ahn switched from South Korea to Russia and won three golds at Sochi. Gus Kenworthy switched from the U.S. to Great Britain for Milan 2026. Neither faced anything close to this scrutiny.
4. Double Standard (Gender & Race Critics)
The backlash isn't proportional to what male athletes in comparable situations get.
The Kenworthy comparison. He was born in the UK, raised in the U.S., competed for America, then switched to Great Britain. No "traitor" accusations, no cable news segments. AsAmNews and PBS have both reported that women athletes of color face disproportionate scrutiny their male counterparts don't.
Gu's own read. "People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China." She described feeling like "a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics."
5. Strategic Silence (Corporate Sponsors)
Advertisers have, well, no response at all.
The money. Gu earns $23.1 million annually, of which $100,000 comes from skiing prize money. The rest spans both countries: Tiffany and Porsche in the West, Bank of China and Luckin Coffee in China. When journalists contacted Victoria's Secret, Estée Lauder, Red Bull, and Beats by Dre, none responded.
The fragility. Her entire commercial value depends on being simultaneously American and Chinese, which is exactly the thing everyone is arguing about. Business of Fashion reported her earning power could be "dimmed by worsening bilateral tensions." The brands have decided the correct response to the loudest geopolitical sports story of the Olympics is to say nothing.
Where This Lands
American conservatives call her a traitor. Chinese taxpayers resent the price tag. Fellow athletes defend her right to choose. Gender critics say the scrutiny is disproportionate. Sponsors are silent because any statement risks one of their two markets.
Sources
Yahoo Sports, "China reportedly paid U.S.-born athletes, including Eileen Gu, nearly $14 million," February 2026, https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/article/winter-olympics-2026-china-reportedly-paid-us-born-athletes-including-eileen-gu-nearly-14-million-125710970.html
CNN, "Eileen Gu is done staying silent about vitriol over competing for China," February 2026, https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/sport/eileen-gu-china-us-controversy-winter-olympics-intl-hnk
ESPN, "How Eileen Gu competing for China is all American," February 2026, https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/47969131/how-eileen-gu-competing-china-all-american
Fox News, "Olympians speak out in defense of Eileen Gu amid criticism for competing for China over US," February 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/olympians-speak-out-defense-eileen-gu-amid-criticism-competing-china-over-us
Fox News, "JD Vance speaks out on Eileen Gu's decision to compete for China," February 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jd-vance-speaks-out-eileen-gu-decision-compete-china-instead-us-olympics
The Federalist, "Eileen Gu, Citizenship, and the Entire Immigration Orthodoxy," February 2026, https://thefederalist.com/2026/02/20/eileen-gu-indicts-birthright-citizenship-and-our-entire-immigration-orthodoxy/
AsAmNews, "Opinion: My thoughts on U.S. Hockey and Eileen Gu," February 2026, https://asamnews.com/2026/02/22/olympic-roundup-eileen-gu-hockey-jason-robertson/
PBS News, "For women athletes of color, outsized scrutiny over gender is nothing new," February 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/for-women-athletes-of-color-outsized-scrutiny-over-gender-is-nothing-new-historians-say
Business of Fashion, "Eileen Gu's China Choice Proves Lucrative, For Now," February 2026, https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/china/eileen-gus-china-choice-proves-lucrative-for-now/
NPR, "How do Olympians like Eileen Gu earn $23 million?" February 2026, https://www.npr.org/2026/02/19/nx-s1-5712629/winter-olympics-milan-cortina-eileen-gu-chloe-kim
Time, "How Eileen Gu Became the Olympics' Star Freestyle Skier," February 2026, https://time.com/7355691/eileen-gu-interview-2026-olympics/