Megyn Kelly made it clear this week that she has no interest in filtering Olympic pride through a political lens. After American figure skater Alysa Liu captured gold for the United States, Kelly said she — like most Americans — was thrilled by the victory and unmoved by claims that conservatives were hypocritical for cheering an athlete who reportedly holds left-leaning views.
Speaking on her show Monday, Kelly addressed criticism from liberals who argued that supporters of President Donald Trump should not be celebrating Liu.
“The left is like, ‘She’s a liberal! She’s from San Francisco, she doesn’t share any of your values,’” Kelly said. “You know what value I share with Alysa Liu? She loves America, that’s enough.”
Kelly argued that most Americans do not concern themselves with the political affiliations of athletes representing the country on the world stage. “Normal people don’t actually ask themselves at all what the politics are of the athletes performing for their country in the Olympic games,” she said. “Only these a**hole journalists who stuck the mics in the faces of some of these young athletes and tried to get them to opine, really cared. And caused controversy for those athletes that they didn’t want.”
The backlash Kelly referenced followed commentary from some media figures and social media users who found it “odd” that members of the online MAGA movement were enthusiastically celebrating Liu’s victory.
On MS NOW last week, Joe Scarborough said, “I will say how hilarious that the sort of MAGA, online MAGA world were celebrating Alysa Liu’s gold medal without a hint of any irony. Celebrating the immigrant, who they were celebrating as an American.”
However, Liu is not an immigrant. She was born in the United States and is the daughter of a man who moved to America from China.
Others on X and in mainstream media outlets pointed out that Liu has expressed liberal beliefs in the past. Her Instagram account includes a photo from a pro-Palestine rally and another image featuring anti-ICE signs. Several users criticized MAGA supporters for praising her despite those posts.
Kelly, along with other conservative commentators such as Outkick’s Clay Travis, dismissed those critiques. They emphasized that Liu represented the United States with distinction and did not use the Olympic spotlight to discuss her political views.
Liu’s performance also drew comparisons to skier Eileen Gu, another athlete raised in the Bay Area who chose to compete for China after reportedly receiving millions of dollars to do so. In contrast, Liu competed under the American flag and delivered historic results.
Last week, Liu secured the women’s individual skating gold medal, marking the first individual skating victory for the United States since 2002. She also won gold in the team event the week prior. Her electrifying routines, carefree demeanor, and exuberant “That’s what I’m f*ckin’ talkin’ about!” celebration resonated with fans across the political spectrum.
Kelly said celebrating Liu was easy because “she made it look fun… it was like a party that we were invited to.”
For Kelly and many others, the bottom line was simple: when an athlete stands atop the podium representing the United States, political differences take a back seat to national pride.
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