The US president launched a verbal attack after the Team USA Olympic halfpipe skier said he’s “not the biggest fan” of what's happening in America right now
The president launched a verbal attack on Hunter Hess after the Team USA Olympic halfpipe skier said he’s “not the biggest fan” of what's happening in America.
“It’s a little hard. There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't," the 27-year-old athlete told Reuters.
”Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S."
He added that he wanted to represent “all the things I believe are good about the US” instead.
Hitting back, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: “U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, 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. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Hess is not the only US Olympian to criticise Trump’s government.
Skier Chris Lillis directly hit out at the administration’s tough immigration crackdown and ICE’s actions after two protesters were fatally shot in Minnesota.
He said: “A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States,” Lillis said.“I’m pretty sure you’re referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that,”
“I think 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.”
Quinn Dehlinger, another skier, said: “The political divide in the United States is very prevalent, and competition and sports is always a way to bring people together.”
Other athletes were also attacked by Trump allies on social media.
Katie Miller, the wife of close Trump aide Stephen Miller, wrote: "If you can’t say you love America while competing on behalf of our nation then you shouldn’t be at the Olympics”
Figure skater Amber Glenn has also previously been asked about US politics and revealed they received hate messages for their comments.
A US Olympic and Paralympic Committee spokesperson said in a following statement: "Our focus is on Hunter’s protection and on ensuring he has the support and resources in place to compete on the world’s largest stage.
"They added: “It’s a sad reality that over the last several games, we’ve seen an uptick in abusive and harmful messages directed at athletes during competition.
"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.”
