Conservatives are losing it over US athletes speaking against the Trump administration at the Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics, currently being held in Italy, has become the centre of significant discussion worldwide. This is primarily because several United States players have spoken about their experiences of living in the country, which aren’t favourable under the current Trump administration. Notably, first-time Olympian Hunter Hess remarked that he is “not the biggest fan of” everything that is happening in the United States, drawing criticism from several Republican and Republican-leaning individuals, including Donald Trump.
Ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on Friday, February 6, 2026, Hunter Hess, who is representing the United States, was allowed to share his thoughts. While doing so, he expressed feelings of ambiguity about representing his country, especially since he did not align with some of the politically charged things that were happening in it. He said, “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.”
He then added that, for him, he is “representing” his “friends and family back home”, the people who represented it before him, “all the things” that he believes are “good about the U.S.”, and that align with his “moral values.” He also said, “Just ‘cause I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
This obviously did not sit well with Donald Trump, who went on a long rant against him on his favourite social media app, Truth Social. In his post, Trump said that Hess “shouldn’t have tried out for the Team” and that “it’s too bad he’s on it.” He also stated that it was “very hard to root for someone like this.” Other conservative-leaning individuals soon hopped in on the trend their master started and began bashing Hess on social media. On X (formerly Twitter), an individual by the name of Lavern Spicer, who identifies herself as a “conservative”, wrote on her profile: “Dear USA Olympic Team I don’t wanna hear one muthafuckin word about your goddamn problems with ICE, TRUMP, or AMERICA. You chose to go over there to represent this country and that’s what the fuck you should do. Don’t nobody wanna hear nothing about how it “brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now.” DONT nobody need your muthafuckin America-hating asses out their demeaning our country on the world stage. It’s old it’s tired its ghetto and its trifling.”
Several others like her also shared their thoughts about Hess’s comments on X and other social media platforms, echoing the words of Trump.
Hunter Hess seemingly acknowledges Trump’s comments about him
On February 9, 2026, Hunter Hess uploaded a photo of himself and, in the caption, wrote about his feelings towards the United States, seemingly responding to Trump’s comments about him.
In the post, he wrote that he loved his country, as “there is so much that is great about America.” But he also noted that “there are always things that could be better.” Emphasising the things he most likes about the United States, Hess mentioned that “one of the many things” that makes America “so amazing” is that people “have the right and the freedom” to point out that the country needs reform. He also added, “the best part of the Olympics is that it brings people together, and when so many of us are divided we need that more than ever.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
