Republican vice presidential nominee and pretend hillbilly JD Vance has drawn justified ire for railing against “childless cat ladies” who aren’t birthing enough babies for his liking. But a resurfaced video reveals another head-scratcher of a target: Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
“What I find so weird about this, and it reflects more on the media than it does 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,” Vance said during a July 2021 appearance on Fox News’ “Outnumbered.”
Vance was campaigning for an Ohio Senate seat when he was asked whether or not Biles had “let down her country” when she withdrew from a series of events in the middle of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns. The postponed games took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think obviously it's understandable that she was going through an incredible amount of pressure,” Vance said, before launching into an attack on the media and society in general for … encouraging mental wellness and therapy.
“We try to praise people not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments,” he lamented.
Vance was not alone in his bizarre criticism of the then 24-year-old superstar gymnast. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called Biles “selfish” and “immature” at the time, while deplorable Republican Mark Robinson, who was campaigning to be lieutenant governor of North Carolina, boasted to an audience that “I ain't no little, weak gymnast that quits when the going gets tough.”
It feels like everywhere you turn these days, there’s a reminder of how weird and unsettling Vance and his conservative cohorts are.
Biles made a triumphant return to the 2024 Olympics, which are currently underway in Paris, France. On Tuesday, the 4-foot-8-inch powerhouse led the women’s gymnastics team to a gold medal.
“You can accomplish big things,” Biles said during a press conference following the victory. “As long as you’re physically and mentally in tune, you can do whatever you dream of.”
It is Biles’ fifth gold medal and eighth medal overall, making her the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.
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