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A guest on the conservative news network Newsmax on Wednesday suggested that American athletes should be politically vetted before being allowed to compete for the country at the Olympics.
“I don’t know why we don’t start vetting these Olympians before they actually start to represent us overseas for their patriotism,” said Evita Duffy-Alfonso, the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy.
The proposal came during a discussion with host Carl Higbie about figure skater Amber Glenn, who was one of a number of U.S. athletes to call out President Donald Trump’s administration ahead of the Games. Despite high hopes, she placed 13th in the short program.
Higbie said: “She was a three-time reigning champ and was expected to at least win a medal. She flopped, got 13th place. So I’m thinking to myself, maybe she should focus on doing what she came there for rather than political bashing of the Trump administration?”
Duffy-Alfonso, who is married to Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Michael Alfonso (R-Wis.), made her call for political screening of athletes representing the United States.
She later cited an article by The Federalist’s Sean Fleetwood, adding: “He said the patriotic thing to do is actually to root against these unpatriotic Olympians because they’re going out bashing us. Why should we cheer for them? Why should we want them to win? It’s absurd.”
Critics on social media quickly pushed back, calling the idea unconstitutional and antithetical to the spirit of the Olympic Games.
Objectively stupid. Athletes can criticize whoever they want, you can disagree with them and say you don’t like it. It’s a free country. Grow up. https://t.co/A2EOSNe94A
— Bobby Trivett (@btrivett07) February 19, 2026China does this. Russia does this. Are we great yet, America? We are beyond how measurable the irony is that MAGA is destroying American values and the country as a whole. https://t.co/cYeQm4lQLL
— Korey McDermott (@koreymac22) February 19, 2026It’s a shame @NEWSMAX doesn’t vet their guests because then we’d know how fucking stupid they are before the shows they’re on air! 😳
Why would NewsMax have someone as ignorant as Evita on to talk about the Olympics! 🤬 https://t.co/1ctBHJHDHx
Could you just leave them alone? The Olympics aren’t about patriotism you fools. And when did any of you last land a triple double or a quad? STFU https://t.co/6N740ZFgge
— Sandi Bohle, MA, MFA, AMFT (@Solasdesigns) February 19, 2026
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