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U.S. Olympian Hunter Hess said “there is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better,” a day after President Trump lashed out at him for saying he had “mixed feelings” about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in response to a journalist’s question last week.
“I love my country,” Hess, a freestyle skier, said in a social media post Monday. “There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out.
“The best part of the Olympics is that it brings people together, and when so many of us are divided we need that more than ever,” Hess said. “I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete. Thanks to everyone for their support.”
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American snowboarders at the Olympics also weighed in when asked by a journalist on Monday if they’d like to address Mr. Trump calling Hess a “real loser” or how they felt representing Team USA.
Bea Kim said she thinks “there are a lot of different opinions in the U.S. right now. Obviously, we’re very divided. I personally am very proud to represent the United States. That being said, I think diversity is what makes us a very strong country and what makes us so special.”
Maddie Mastro said she was proud to represent the United States, but she’s “also saddened with what’s happening at home. It’s really tough. I feel like we can’t turn a blind eye to that. But at the same time, I represent a country that has the same values as mine, of kindness and compassion. And we come together in times of injustice.”
“My parents being immigrants, this one definitely hits pretty close to home,” two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim said. “I think in moments like these, it is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another, for all that’s going on. And I think that I’m really proud to represent the United States. The U.S. has given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions on what’s going on. And I think that we need to lead with love and compassion. And I would love to see some more of that.”
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International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams told journalists Monday that he was “not going to add to the discourse” about Mr. Trump’s remark.
“I won’t comment on the statement of the president of the United States, nor would I do so for any other head of state,” Adams said.
When asked if Hess needs more protection after Mr. Trump’s comment, Adams declined to publicly discuss security issues.
The U.S. and Paralympic Committee said Sunday it was aware of an increasing amount of harmful messages directed at athletes, and that it was doing its best to report credible threats to law enforcement and remove harmful content, the Associated Press reported.
“I think it’s important to say what we feel and stand up for what we believe in and stand up to injustice, and I’ve been really proud seeing other athletes doing that,” Gus Kenworthy, a skier competing for the United Kingdom in the 2026 Winter Games, said in a video on social media late Sunday.
Last week, Kenworthy, who is a dual U.S.-U.K. national and has previously competed for Team USA, posted a photo of an explicit message condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on social media. The message was written in urine in the snow.
“I just want to remind everyone that you can love the U.S. and be proud to be an American – I am – and still think it can be better, and still think that the country can improve,” Kenworthy said. “And just because you love the U.S. doesn’t mean you stand with this administration and stand behind their politics and their legislation and support the things that they support. Because I don’t. And I do not support ICE, and I think it’s absolutely evil and awful and terrifying.”
Last week, Team USA freestyle skier Chris Lillis told journalists, in response to questions about political issues at home, that he felt “heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States” and that “as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect.”
Late Sunday, he posted a social media video of him falling while attempting a ski run.
“For all the haters here’s one of me crashing to get you stoked,” the caption said. “Don’t worry I’m pretty tough.”
“Athletes since the ancient games have been political and politicized,” J. Simon Rofe, an associate professor in sports diplomacy at the University of Leeds told CBS News.
Rofe mentioned when American track medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in protest on the podium at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico as just one of many examples of Olympic athletes using their positions to take a stand on political issues.
“What’s noticeable [in these Winter Games] is athletes’ agency in being political. So the platforms of social media provide that opportunity to a far greater degree than we’ve seen in the past,” Rofe said. “Sport plays that huge role in society and communities of convening people together. It allows for conversations that wouldn’t happen otherwise. Now, some of those conversations may be to your taste and to your disposition, and some of them will not be.”
