JD Vance Weak Moment, Can’t Find Issues Better Than Criticize A Gold Medal Winner

Simone Biles received her second gold medal in the Olympic Games in Paris on Thursday. JD Vance criticized Biles for withdrawing from the previous Olympics because of a mental health issue.Credit...Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times

  

By Neil Vigdor

The New York Times

Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, is drawing renewed scrutiny over his past remarks that the American gymnast Simone Biles, who won another Olympic all-around gold medal on Thursday, showed weakness when she withdrew from the previous Games because of a mental health issue.

Mr. Vance, during an appearance on Fox News in 2021, questioned why Ms. Biles was receiving acclaim for stepping away from the competition at the Tokyo Games.

“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,” Mr. Vance, who was running for the Senate, said at the time.

Democratic operatives were eager to call attention to the remarks now that both Mr. Vance and Ms. Biles are back in the spotlight. Aida Ross, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said on Thursday that Mr. Vance was in “no position to be talking about anyone else’s ‘weakest moments.’” 

“While the rest of the country is celebrating the U.S.A. women’s gymnastics team’s performance at the Olympics, JD Vance is facing his weakest moment amid a gaffe-filled rollout that has left him as the most unpopular V.P. pick in decades,” she said.

American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC that conducts research and tracking on Republican candidates, posted a clip of Mr. Vance’s comments on X.

In it, Mr. Vance says that the public’s empathy toward Ms. Biles, who is now 27, was emblematic of what was wrong with the country.

“But instead, what our press has done, I think, has turned this into this weird therapeutic moment,” he said.

His comments began ricocheting online as Ms. Biles was competing in the individual all-around competition in Paris, where she added to her haul of medals. She is only the third woman to win a second all-around title at the Olympics, after winning her first in 2016.  

Her decision in 2021 to remove herself from the competition sparked a national conversation over mental health. It earned her accolades from those who praised her for putting her well-being first and criticism from others who called her a quitter.

“We’ve tried to turn a very tragic moment, Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team, into this act of heroism,” Mr. Vance said earlier in the same Fox segment.

Some of Mr. Vance’s other past comments and criticism of women have similarly drawn scrutiny since former President Donald J. Trump selected him as his running mate on July 15.

During another appearance on Fox News in 2021, he complained that the nation was governed by “childless cat ladies,” including Vice President Kamala Harris. Those comments prompted a bipartisan backlash and touched off a back-and-forth between Mr. Vance and the actress Jennifer Aniston, who has been open about her fertility struggles.

Neil Vigdor covers politics for The Times, focusing on voting rights issues and election disinformation. More about Neil Vigdor