Donald Trump responded to Hunter Hess on Truth Social on Sunday, calling the Olympian a \u201creal loser\u201d and criticizing comments the US freestyle skier made in a press conference days earlier.<\/p>\n
Hess was asked in a press conference on Wednesday what it was like to represent the US in the Olympics given the current situation in the country, which has included ICE raids in Minnesota<\/a> and a number of geopolitical crises<\/a>. Hess said representing the US at the 2026 Winter Olympics brought up \u201cmixed emotions\u201d and that it was \u201ca little hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a lot going on that I\u2019m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cI think for me it\u2019s more I\u2019m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the US \u2026 Just because I\u2019m wearing the flag doesn\u2019t mean I represent everything that\u2019s going on in the US.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump made his ire clear on Sunday, characterizing Hess\u2019s comments as saying: \u201che doesn\u2019t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics<\/a>. If that\u2019s the case, he shouldn\u2019t have tried out for the team, and it\u2019s too bad he\u2019s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s critique follows that of Tennessee Republican representative Tim Burchett, who said in a post on X that Hess should \u201cshut up and go play in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n Hess is one of a handful of Team USA Olympians who have expressed discomfort with representing their country in its current state, and who have then been the recipient of criticism afterward.<\/p>\n US figure skating national champion Amber Glenn said she\u2019d be taking a break from all social media after being inundated with what she called \u201ca scary amount of hate\/threats.\u201d<\/p>\n Glenn, who came out publicly in 2019, was asked how it feels to be part of the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a hard time for the community overall and this administration,\u201d Glenn said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t the first time that we\u2019ve had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n