President Trump took aim at Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess on Sunday, following comments from Hess and other American athletes about the political climate in the United States during the Milano Cortina Winter Games earlier in the week.
“U. S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Mr. Trump expressed in a social media post on Sunday. “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!”
During a press conference on Wednesday, when asked about the ongoing political situation in the U. S., Hess shared that his feelings about representing his country internationally were complex.
“I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U. S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. I think for me it’s more I’m representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U. S.”
“I just think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U. S.,” he added. “So yeah, I just kind of want to do it like for my friends and my family and the people that supported me getting here.”
On Saturday, Rich Grennell from Trump’s administration criticized Hess online, suggesting he “move to Canada if you aren’t proud to wear USA.”
Meanwhile, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett weighed in saying Hess should “shut up and go play in the snow.”
U. S. National Champion figure skater Amber Glenn is set to become the first out LGBTQ woman to skate at an Olympic Games on Sunday; she mentioned over Saturday that she would limit her time on social media after facing backlash for expressing her views regarding issues impacting the LGBTQ community prior to these Games.
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about America (Freedom of speech) and convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in troubling times for many Americans I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel,” Glenn wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “I did anticipate this but I am disappointed by it. I’ll be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing for now but I’ll never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
This past week at a press conference, Glenn was asked her opinion regarding how politics affect both America and its LGBTQ community.
“It’s been tough lately for our community overall with this administration. It isn’t our first time coming together as a community fighting for our human rights. Now especially it’s not just affecting queer folks but many other groups too. And we can support each other more than before which has made us stronger,” Glenn stated.
“I hope to use my platform throughout these games to encourage everyone to stay strong during these hard times. A lot of people say you’re just an athlete; stick to your job and keep quiet about politics! But politics affect us all every day so there’s no way I’d stay silent because these issues matter greatly,” she continued.
When U. S alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin stated it was “always an honor and privilege” to represent Team USA while being questioned by journalists regarding tensions within America last Saturday; she referenced former South African leader Nelson Mandela’s words.
“Peace is not just absence of conflict; peace is creating an environment where we can all flourish regardless of race color creed religion gender class caste or any other differences,” Shiffrin quoted Mandela as saying.
“For me relating this back to Olympics – I’m hoping to show up reflecting values like inclusivity diversity kindness sharing,” Shiffrin shared further adding “Tenacity work ethic showing up daily with my team as always is important alongside those values we put forth on mountain or hill.”
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