Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans. You’re there to play a sport, and you’re there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics.
When Olympic athletes enter the political area, they should expect some pushback. But most Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job, and certainly enjoy the support of the entire country, and I think recognize that the way to bring the country together is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the president of the United States, but to play your sport and represent the country well.
— Vice President JD Vance, in comments noted by USA Today, concerning Olympic athletes who are speaking out about U.S. politics while at the Olympics in Italy. Vance was defending President Donald Trump’s criticism of freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, who said he had “mixed emotions” about representing the U.S. “right now,” and that “[w]earing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.” Trump went on to call Hess a “a real Loser,” which prompted Hess to respond, “I love my country… but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out.” Relatedly, Rich Ruohonen, a Minnesota lawyer on the curling team, recently went on to refer to the shocking killings of U.S. citizens by ICE agents as “wrong” during a press briefing.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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