Former President Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance is facing more criticism after a video of him criticizing Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on Fox News for withdrawing from competition at the Tokyo Olympics resurfaced after her incredible comeback in Paris.
Biles shocked fans worldwide when she withdrew from five event finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in the summer of 2021. She eventually made a comeback to earn bronze on the balance beam, marking her 32nd medal across the Olympics and World Championships. Afterward, she stepped away from competitive gymnastics.
Biles decided not to compete in the team final in Tokyo due to the “twisties,” a mental block causing gymnasts to lose their sense of position midair. USA Gymnastics later announced her withdrawal from the individual all-around final to prioritize her mental health, as well as from the vault, floor, and uneven bars finals.
The world’s most decorated gymnast has won four medals since returning to the Olympics stage in Paris—three gold and one silver—and delighted fans around the world.
At the time, host Harris Faulkner asked Vance the following pointed question about Biles:
“Did she let down the country, do you think?”
To that, Vance replied:
Well, obviously I think it’s understandable that she was going through an incredible amount of pressure. What I find so weird about this—and this reflects more on the media than on Simone Biles—is that we’ve tried to turn a very tragic moment, Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team, into this act of heroism.”
“I think it reflects pretty poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments. And look, being an athlete is tough. Being an athlete at that level is incredibly tough.”
“A normal response to this moment would be to say it’s just a shame that she’s going through this, it’s a shame that she quit.”
“But instead, what our press has done I think is turn this into this weird therapeutic moment, and I think that’s where the problem here lies.”
Remarking on Biles’ performance during the Paris finale, Washington Post reporter Emily Giambalvo said Biles “had to overcome disappointment, then reminded the world she is human — incredible but not invincible.”
She added:
“Two hours after missing out on a beam medal, Biles ended her competition with an imperfect performance on floor, but she did it on her own terms. After two powerful tumbling passes, she stepped out of bounds, costing her the gold medal. She finished these Games on the second-place podium but already had earned three other medals here, all gold.”
Speaking to reporters after admitting to being fatigued, Biles said she is “not very upset or anything about my performance at the Olympics,” adding that she is “actually very happy, proud and even more excited that it’s over — the stress of it.”
We’d like to see Vance try to do the same—in between complaining about “childless cat ladies,” of course.
