US President Donald Trump criticised American Olympic skier Hunter Hess as a “real loser” on Sunday, days after the athlete expressed mixed feelings about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in northern Italy.
“Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social media platform.
Freestyle skier Hess was asked at a press conference on Wednesday how he felt about representing America at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games , given acute US tension over violent immigration raids and other political crises.
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t,” Hess had said.
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US,” Hess added.
Hess said it “brings up mixed emotions to represent the US right now”.
