At the 2026 Winter Olympics, an event that should have been about athletic excellence and national pride was once again hijacked by President Donald Trump’s trademark pettiness. This time, his target was American freestyle skier Hunter Hess, whom the president called a “real loser” after the athlete spoke candidly about his mixed feelings regarding the current political climate back home.
Hess had simply acknowledged that representing the United States does not mean endorsing every policy or action of the government. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” he stated. It was a measured, honest answer—one that many Americans across the political spectrum can relate to. President Trump, however, had other ideas. In a post on Truth Social, he attacked the Olympian personally, suggesting it was “very hard to root” for someone who dared to express his concerns about the current state of his home country.
Kim: ‘I Also Think That We Are Allowed To Voice Our Opinions’
But while Trump reached for insults, some of America’s most decorated winter athletes chose a very different tone.
During a press conference, U.S. Snowboarder Chloe Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, called for unity in the wake of Trump’s attack on her teammate. Kim, whose parents are immigrants from South Korea, said the controversy “hits pretty close to home.” Although she is proud to represent the United States, Kim stated that athletes have a right to voice their opinions. “We need to lead with love and compassion,” she further added.
Freeskier Eileen Gu, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, weighed in as well, expressing empathy for Hess and feeling apologetic over how the situation has devolved into a political spectacle. “It really runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be,” Gu remarked.
Gu, who has faced intense scrutiny and backlash throughout her career, said she understood what it felt like to be caught in the crossfire of political debates and described the controversy as an unwinnable public-relations fight for the athlete at the center of it.
Their comments stood in stark contrast to Trump’s post, which once again showcased his tendency to belittle and demean rather than to lead. Instead of celebrating American athletes on the world stage, the president chose to attack one of them for expressing a personal opinion—an opinion that didn’t even explicitly call out Trump and his administration.
The episode is hardly surprising. Trump has a extensive track record of publicly feuding with just about anyone who doesn’t fall in line with his politics. But doing it in the middle of the Winter Games, when athletes are supposed to represent the best of the country, underscores just how polarized this country has become under the current administration.
