Trump lashes out at Team USA athlete for sharing thoughts on politics

President Trump criticized Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess on Sunday, after Hess and other American athletes at the Milano Cortina Winter Games shared their thoughts on the political situation in the United States earlier in the week.

“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post on Sunday. “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. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

During a press conference on Wednesday, in response to a question about the current political situation in the U.S., Hess said his feelings about representing his country on the international stage were complicated.

“I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. I think for me it’s more I’m representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S.”

“I just think, if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” he continued. “So yeah, I just kind of want to do it like for my friends and my family and the people that supported me getting here.”

On Saturday, Trump administration envoy and Kennedy Center head Rich Grennell criticized Hess on social media, suggesting he “move to Canada if you aren’t proud to wear USA.” 

Meanwhile, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican, said Hess should “shut up and go play in the snow.”

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who was photographed with Vice President JD Vance at the U.S. women’s hockey game, piled on Hess, writing Saturday on X: “From all “From all true Americans If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else.”

In addition to Paul, conservative figures criticizing the athletes on social media include former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, actor Rob Schneider and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — who Mr. Trump has endorsed for the Florida gubernatorial race in November. 

U.S. National Champion figure skater Amber Glenn, who became the first out LGBTQ woman to skate at an Olympic Games on Sunday, said on Saturday that she would be spending less time on social media after facing backlash for sharing her thoughts on issues facing the LGBTQ community ahead of the Games.

“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (Freedom of speech) and 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,” Glenn said in a social media post on Saturday. “I did anticipate this but I am disappointed by it. I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”

Earlier in the week, at a press conference, Glenn was asked to share her thoughts on the political situation in the U.S. and its impact on the LGBTQ community.

“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. And now especially, it’s not just affecting the queer community but many other communities. And I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn’t have to before. And because of that, it’s made us a lot stronger,” Glenn said.

“I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times. I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like stick to your job, shut up about politics. But politics affect us all. It is 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,” she continued.

When U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who said it was “always an honor and a privilege to represent Team USA and to represent your country,” was asked about tensions in the U.S. by journalists on Saturday, she quoted former South African leader Nelson Mandela.

“Peace is not just the absence of conflict, peace is the creation of an environment where we can all flourish, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference,” Shiffrin quoted Mandela as saying.

“For me, as this relates to the Olympics, I’m really hoping to show up and represent my own values – values of inclusivity, values of diversity, and kindness, and sharing,” Shiffrin said. “Tenacity, work ethic, showing up with my team every single day, like I said before, and the values that we bring and put out on the mountain and on the hill every single day.”

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Sunday that it is aware of an increasing amount of abusive and harmful messages directed toward the athletes and was doing its best to remove content and report credible threats to law enforcement.

“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.