American women’s snowboarding team defends Hess after Trump criticism

The Olympics were never apolitical, but there was a time when Americans could almost unanimously agree to support the Team USA athletes who adorned Wheaties boxes and sported red, white and blue on the biggest stages in sports. 

Those days may have passed. 

At this year’s Winter Games, a growing fracture between outspoken athletes and the Trump administration threatens the patriotism that has traditionally defined Americans’ efforts in the competition.

Team USA’s women’s halfpipe snowboarding team defended skier Hunter Hess on Monday, a day after President Trump criticized the athlete for saying he didn’t want to “represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Mr. Trump called Hess a “real loser” for the comments. 

“Says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” the Republican wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “Very hard to root for someone like this.”

The president wasn’t the only American unhappy with Hess.

“Shut up and go play in the snow,” Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, wrote on social media. 

“If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else,” influencer Jake Paul, who has attended Olympic events with Vice President J.D. Vance, wrote on X.

The four-woman halfpipe team of Chloe Kim, Bea Kim, Maddie Mastro and Maddy Schaffrick came to Hess’ defense during their press conference on Monday morning. 

“It is really important for us to unite and stand up for one another with all that’s going on,” Chloe Kim, a reigning Olympic gold medalist, said. “I’m really proud to represent the United States. It’s given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions of what’s going on. And I think that we should lead with love and compassion.”

Hess and Chloe Kim did not specify what domestic events they were referring to. However, the athletes implied that they were concerned about recent clashes in Minnesota between federal agents and protestors fighting immigration enforcement. 

Bea Kim, who is not related to her teammate, preached unity. The 17-year-old is a second-generation Korean-American — her grandparents settled on the West Coast after emigrating from South Korea. 

“I think there are a lot of different opinions in the U.S. right now. Obviously we’re very divided,” Bea Kim said. “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 that so special.”

Americans have received a lukewarm response during the ongoing Olympics in northern Italy. Crowds booed Mr. Vance during his appearance at Friday’s opening ceremony. The American athletes have not suffered the same vitriol from the Italian masses. 

However, locals in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo have protested against the U.S.’s presence. Agents from the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that is separate from the domestic enforcement arm, traveled to Italy but have no operational police power. 

The protest ended with local authorities blasting the demonstrators with water cannons.

The Olympics, despite offering a chance for fans and athletes from different nations to experience the shared joy of sports, have never been without their controversies. 

The event offers athletes — and politicians — the biggest stage in the world. The Games are inherently a spotlight for sports, but also for the people and countries who compete. 

For more than 100 years, athletes and host nations have used the opportunity to spread personal beliefs. In 1936, Adolf Hitler used the Berlin Olympics in an attempt to prove the Aryan superiority of Nazi Germany. 

Three decades later, African-American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved fists in a salute after medaling in the 200-meter race. The act was widely described — and criticized — for being a “Black Power” salute, though Smith later said it was in support of all human rights. 

But the American contingent is facing nearly unprecedented levels of criticism from fans and politicians at home, though.

Figure skater Amber Glenn made headlines when she came out as pansexual. She’s one of a handful of openly LGBTQ Americans on Team USA, but received a surge of hate messages on social media after criticizing Mr. Trump. 

“It’s been a hard time for the [LGBTQ] community overall in this administration,” she said in a pre-Olympic press conference. 

She later noted that she would limit her social media presence after receiving messages that “crossed the line.”

“It’s a sad reality that over the last several games, we’ve seen an uptick in abusive and harmful messages directed at the athletes during competition,” the U.S. Olympic Committee said. ina statement.

The role of an American Olympian has changed — as has the media. International reporters at the Olympics have not limited their questions to topics on the ice, course or halfpipe. The media members are asking American athletes for their take on politics and current events.

The risk-averse answers are still common. Many competitors default to gushing about how glad they are for the opportunity to compete on the Olympic stage.

But a growing number of athletes have openly shared their opinions, despite the risk of blowback.

In turn, fans like Mr. Paul and Mr. Burchett sport mixed feelings about the athletes in red, white and blue. 

“I feel sorry for the athletes,” said Eileen Gu, an American-born skier who competes for China. “I’m sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so … unrelated to the spirit of the Games. It really runs contrary to everything that the Olympics should be.”

 

The Americans have the brightest spotlight and have courted the most controversy. But the rising international tensions are not limited to the U.S. 

Fans booed the Israeli delegation at Friday’s opening ceremony, presumably due to concerns about the ongoing conflict with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 

“They can do whatever they want,” Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos told the Times of Israel. 

But, unlike the Americans in attendance, Szollos hasn’t spoken about his government’s domestic and foreign policies.

The same applies to the handful of Russian competitors. They are competing as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” without a flag, anthem or delegation due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. There have not been any high-profile press conferences where the Russian athletes are asked to take a stance on President Vladimir Putin or the nation’s military actions.

The neutral competitors from Russia were cleared by an International Olympic Committee Panel. The IOC reportedly analyzed the athletes’ social media history and backgrounds to determine whether they had supported the Russian war effort. 

However, some Ukrainian athletes at the Games are still unhappy with the Russians’ presence. 

BBC Sport reported that some independent athletes, like speed skater Kseniia Korzhova, had liked social media posts that supported Russia’s efforts in Ukraine. Others, like cross-country skier Dariya Nepryaeva, attended a state-sponsored camp in Crimea after Russia annexed the Ukrainian land. 

“Getting ready for competition in occupied territories, or supporting the war on social media, it is definitely not right to call them neutral because they’re not,” skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukraine’s flag bearer for the Games, told the BBC. 

Experts in sports culture from around the globe have said athletes are unlikely to allow frustrations with other nations to boil over during events. But, for individual athletes unhappy with the U.S., Israel or Russia, defeating those athletes may taste sweeter.

“I expect the tensions will play out in matches and competitions that will take on a new, intensified meaning,” Christine Dallaire, a professor who specializes in sports and Canadian society at the University of Ottawa, told Global News. “It’s not just about beating the U.S.; it’ll be about winning against Donald Trump and showing our might — at least on the ice.”