While the world watches the 2026 Winter Olympics, there is one president who is more focused on clashing with athletes from his own country than encouraging them.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump targeted a young American athlete competing on the world stage for voicing a political opinion.
Trump criticized U.S. freestyle skier Hunter Hess after comments the 27-year-old athlete made about having “mixed emotions” regarding representing the United States at the Olympics.
Highlights
- President Trump criticized U.S. skier Hunter Hess for expressing mixed emotions about representing the U.S. at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- Conservative figures urged Hess to leave the country if he wasn't proud to represent the U.S. in the Olympics.
- Teammate Chris Lillis expressed heartbreak over U.S. issues and emphasized respect and love for everyone's rights.
Trump clashed with an American Olympic athlete over a political statement
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Hess was asked last Friday what it was like to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, given the political situation in his country. Hess said it was a “little hard” representing the U.S. and that it brought up “mixed emotions.”
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t,” Hess said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been operating across American states and clashing with protesters, especially in Minnesota, where ICE agents killed two American citizens.
“I think for me it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.”
Trump responded by calling Hess “a real loser” on social media.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this.”
Several conservative figures joined Trump in attacking the skier.
Trump ally Richard Grenell suggested Hess should leave the U.S. if he isn’t proud to represent his country.
“Move to Canada if you aren’t proud to wear USA,” Grenell said.
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Florida Congressman Byron Donalds told Hess to “go home” if he found the role too difficult.
“YOU chose to wear our flag. YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the @Olympics. If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME. Some things are bigger than politics. You just don’t get it.”
Other high-profile conservatives, including boxer Jake Paul, also weighed in. “Wow pls shut the f**k up. From all true Americans. If you don’t want to represent this country, go live somewhere else,” Paul said online.
Jake Paul also joined in the criticism of Hess, asking him to go ‘live somewhere else’
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He was also spotted attending the games in Milan on Saturday, sitting next to Vice President JD Vance, who was booed during the opening ceremony on Friday.
Washington Post conservative columnist Marc Thiessen also joined the MAGA backlash, saying athletes speaking about politics “ruin the Olympics,” and even said he was “Rooting against Hunter Hess.”
Hess is not the only American speaking up about the political situation in the country. During the same news conference as Hess, his teammate Chris Lillis said, “A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States.”
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He added, “I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating as well as anybody, with love and respect.”
“I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” Lillis added.
Figure skater Amber Glenn also received backlash after speaking openly about concerns related to the current U.S. government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
“Politics affects us all. It is something I will not just be quiet about,” Glenn said ahead of the games. “It’s been a hard time for the community overall and this administration.
“It isn’t the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights,” she added.
Glenn later said she stepped away from social media due to harassment. She said she received a “scary” number of social media hate and threats.
Other athletes have also spoken up against Trump’s policies
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“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
She later explained her need to speak up. “I know that a lot of people will say, ‘You’re just an athlete, stick to your job and shut up about politics,’ but politics affects us all,” she told reporters.
“It’s something that I will not just be quiet about, because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives. So of course there are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong, and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us.”
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee acknowledged the situation and said it is working to support and protect athletes.
“The USOPC stands firmly behind Team USA athletes and remains committed to their well-being and safety, both on and off the field of play,” it said in a statement.