U.S. Olympian responds after Trump calls him "a real loser"

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U.S. Olympian Hunter Hess said "there is truthful overmuch that is large astir America, but determination are ever things that could beryllium better," a time aft President Trump lashed retired astatine him for saying helium had "mixed feelings" astir representing the United States astatine the Winter Olympics successful effect to a journalist's question past week.

"I emotion my country," Hess, a freestyle skier, said successful a social media post Monday. "There is truthful overmuch that is large astir America, but determination are ever things that could beryllium better. One of the galore things that makes this state truthful astonishing is that we person the close and the state to constituent that out.

"The champion portion of the Olympics is that it brings radical together, and erstwhile truthful galore of america are divided we request that much than ever," Hess said. "I cannot hold to correspond Team USA adjacent week erstwhile I compete. Thanks to everyone for their support."

Hunter Hess of Team USA looks connected aft competing successful the Aspen Snowmass Men's Freeski Halfpipe Finals connected Jan. 10, 2026, successful Aspen, Colorado.

American snowboarders astatine the Olympics besides weighed successful erstwhile asked by a writer connected Monday if they'd similar to code Mr. Trump calling Hess a "real loser" oregon however they felt representing Team USA.

Bea Kim said she thinks "there are a batch of antithetic opinions successful the U.S. close now. Obviously, we're precise divided. I personally americium precise arrogant to correspond the United States. That being said, I deliberation diverseness is what makes america a precise beardown state and what makes america truthful special."

Maddie Mastro said she was arrogant to correspond the United States, but she's "also saddened with what's happening astatine home. It's truly tough. I consciousness similar we can't crook a unsighted oculus to that. But astatine the aforesaid time, I correspond a state that has the aforesaid values arsenic mine, of kindness and compassion. And we travel unneurotic successful times of injustice."

"My parents being immigrants, this 1 decidedly hits beauteous adjacent to home," two-time Olympic golden medalist Chloe Kim said. "I deliberation successful moments similar these, it is truly important for america to unite and benignant of basal up for 1 another, for each that's going on. And I deliberation that I'm truly arrogant to correspond the United States. The U.S. has fixed my household and I truthful overmuch opportunity. But I besides deliberation that we are allowed to dependable our opinions connected what's going on. And I deliberation that we request to pb with emotion and compassion. And I would emotion to spot immoderate much of that."

Chloe Kim of Team USA speaks during a quality league astatine Livigno Snow Park connected Feb. 9, 2026, successful Livigno, Italy.

International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams told journalists Monday that helium was "not going to adhd to the discourse" astir Mr. Trump's remark.

"I won't remark connected the connection of the president of the United States, nor would I bash truthful for immoderate different caput of state," Adams said.

When asked if Hess needs much extortion aft Mr. Trump's comment, Adams declined to publically sermon information issues.

The U.S. and Paralympic Committee said Sunday it was alert of an expanding magnitude of harmful messages directed astatine athletes, and that it was doing its champion to study credible threats to instrumentality enforcement and region harmful content, the Associated Press reported.

"I deliberation it's important to accidental what we consciousness and basal up for what we judge successful and basal up to injustice, and I've been truly arrogant seeing different athletes doing that," Gus Kenworthy, a skier competing for the United Kingdom successful the 2026 Winter Games, said successful a video connected societal media precocious Sunday.

Last week, Kenworthy, who is simply a dual U.S.-U.K. nationalist and has antecedently competed for Team USA, posted a photograph of an explicit connection condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement connected societal media. The connection was written successful urine successful the snow.

"I conscionable privation to punctual everyone that you tin emotion the U.S. and beryllium arrogant to beryllium an American - I americium - and inactive deliberation it tin beryllium better, and inactive deliberation that the state tin improve," Kenworthy said. "And conscionable due to the fact that you emotion the U.S. doesn't mean you basal with this medication and basal down their authorities and their authorities and enactment the things that they support. Because I don't. And I bash not enactment ICE, and I deliberation it's perfectly evil and atrocious and terrifying."

Last week, Team USA freestyle skier Chris Lillis told journalists, successful effect to questions astir governmental issues astatine home, that helium felt "heartbroken astir what's happened successful the United States" and that "as a country, we request to absorption connected respecting everybody's rights and making definite that we're treating our citizens arsenic good arsenic anybody with emotion and respect."

Late Sunday, helium posted a societal media video of him falling portion attempting a skis run.

"For each the haters here's 1 of maine crashing to get you stoked," the caption said. "Don't interest I'm beauteous tough."

"Athletes since the past games person been governmental and politicized," J. Simon Rofe, an subordinate prof successful sports diplomacy astatine the University of Leeds told CBS News.

Rofe mentioned erstwhile American way medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists successful protestation connected the podium astatine the 1968 Olympics successful Mexico arsenic conscionable 1 of galore examples of Olympic athletes utilizing their positions to instrumentality a basal connected governmental issues.

"What's noticeable [in these Winter Games] is athletes' bureau successful being political. So the platforms of societal media supply that accidental to a acold greater grade than we've seen successful the past," Rofe said. "Sport plays that immense relation successful nine and communities of convening radical together. It allows for conversations that wouldn't hap otherwise. Now, immoderate of those conversations whitethorn beryllium to your sensation and to your disposition, and immoderate of them volition not be."

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