US athletes say they have right to speak up after Donald Trump brands skier a ‘loser’

LIVIGNO – American athletes have the right to speak their minds, two-time Olympic snowboarding champion Chloe Kim said on Feb 9, stepping into a row that has spilled from the Italian Alps into United States politics.

Her comments came a day after US President Donald Trump labelled freestyle skier Hunter Hess a “real loser” for admitting he felt conflicted about representing his country at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games.

Hess had said it was “a little hard” to wear US colours given his unease about events at home, remarks that ignited a social media storm and drew Mr Trump’s rebuke on Truth Social.

The exchange has sharpened a broader debate about whether Olympians should express personal views on the global stage.

British-American Olympic medallist Gus Kenworthy, competing for his birth nation Britain at the Games, was pulled into the same culture clash after saying he got “awful messages” for posting an anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) slogan, apparently etched with urine in the snow to his followers.

Together, the episodes have turned athlete expression into one of the Games’ unexpected fault lines.

“I’m really proud to represent the United States,” Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the halfpipe, told a press conference held by the women’s US snowboarding team in the mountain venue of Livigno on Feb 9.

“The US has given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions on what’s going on. And I think we need to lead with love and compassion and I would like to see some more of that.”

Kim’s comments were echoed by teammate Maddie Mastro, who said athletes should not turn a blind eye to what was happening around them.

“I’m also saddened with what’s happening at home,” she said. “It’s really tough and I feel like we can’t turn a blind eye to that.

“But, at the same time, I represent a country that has the same values as mine of kindness and compassion, and we come together in times of injustice.”

Political tensions have surfaced at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, including over the presence of personnel from ICE.

The agency has faced widespread protests across the US after agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis in January.

US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who attended the Games’ opening ceremony in Milan on Feb 6, was booed when he was briefly shown on the San Siro stadium’s large screens.

Kenworthy told his 1.2 million followers on Instagram that while he had received many messages of support, a lot had been awful.

“People telling me to kill myself, threatening me, wishing that they’ll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during my event, calling me slurs.

“I just want to remind everyone that you can love the US and be proud to be an American. I am... and still think it can be better. And I do not support ICE and I think it is absolutely evil and awful and terrifying.”

In response to freestyle skier Hess’ comments, Mr Trump said he should have stayed away from the US Olympic team if he felt that way about the United States.

“US 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!,” he wrote.

Freestyle star Eileen Gu voiced support for Hess. The American-born skier, who competes for China, said she had “so much sympathy and empathy” for him, adding it felt like “an unwinnable press war” and the focus should remain on his skiing.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement it monitors public platforms, removes content when possible and escalates credible threats to law enforcement as appropriate, adding: “No athlete should have to face this alone.” REUTERS