'It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think,' he said, fatefully.
It’s been a charged Olympics for Team USA. The athletes, many of whom are in the global spotlight for the first time, have found themselves fielding questions about the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they act as representatives of the U.
S. on the world stage. Some of them have skated around those topics, while a few more daring ones have publicly condemned the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. But strangely, the biggest political controversy from these Games hasn’t involved the queer Texan figure skater whoInstead, the biggest dustup so far has centered on a floppy-haired 27-year-old freestyle skier from Oregon who has no public profile as an activist. It all started at a pre-Olympics press conference on Friday, when Hunter Hess, who skis the halfpipe, was asked how he felt representing the country amid the controversial goings-on in the United States. His response, in full: It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. 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. 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. So yeah. I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that supported me getting here.Hess wasn’t taking a bold stance. He did not name Trump or talk about specific actions from the administration. But almost as soon as a snippet of his answer) Jake Paul, with 23 million views, sums up the general conservative viewpoint: “Wow pls shut the fuck up. From all true Americans. If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else.”on Truth Social, calling him “a real Loser” who “says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics.” He added, “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.”that’s bounced around social media, Hess’ American teammate Chris Lillis said he felt “heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States” and named ICE directly. At another point in the same press conference, skier Svea Irving said it was “definitely a tough time in our country right now.” And more recently, 54-year-old American curlerbrought up ICE raids in Minnesota of his own accord: “We’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody,” he said. “And what’s happening in Minnesota is wrong. There’s no shades of gray.”Rich Ruohonen of Team USA Men’s Curling is proud to represent the United States and wanted to make a statement of his own before the press conference ended about what is happening in Minnesota/US. Ruohonen says he’s speaking as an attorney with 28 years of experience.—Amber Glenn, the queer figure skater, said she had “never had so many people wish me harm before”—Hess stands out both for drawing Trump’s direct ire and for seeming to have stumbled into this by accident., Hess posts photos almost exclusively of himself tumbling through the air. He doesn’t seem to have enough of a platform for fans to demand he use it for any kind of cause. In fact, he’s been so unknown to the wider public that no one appeared to notice that his height was listed on the official Team USA website as 6-foot-9, an erroneous “fact” that appears at the top of the screen when you Google his name. , is not trying to be a voice of the resistance. He just appears to be a ski bro who stumbled into a controversy by answering a question honestly if obliquely.Nevertheless, there are a few reasons that Hess has had the misfortune of going viral. The timing was likely a major factor, given that he made Olympics news during the semidry period before most of the events had started. The setting also didn’t help: The video from the U.S. free skiing team’s press conference could be easily clipped and shared. But more than anything else, Hess had the bad luck of approvingthe most inflammatory sentence from his answer: “Just because I wear the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”Mentioning the American flag at the Olympics with anything other than unconditional reverence is a surefire way to make self-identified patriots apoplectic. Other athletes might have criticized the Trump administration, but they didn’t express any doubts about wearing the stars and stripes.. Hess’ teammate Lillis stated that “the America we’re trying to represent” is one in which we’re “treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect.” Hess framed his response in the negative, saying that he had “mixed emotions” about representing the U.S. That specific language proved incendiary. Sen. Rick Scott, for example, said, “Any person who goes to the Olympics to represent the United States and then says they don’t want to represent the United States should be immediately stripped of the Olympic uniform.” On the flip side, Hess’ vagueness gave potential supporters little to latch on to. Gus Kenworthy thrilled progressives with his urine-based “Fuck ICE” snow photo on his Instagram. So did Glenn, who took a risk in making a clear statement about the “hard time” the LGBTQ+ community is facing under Trump.Hess did have his defenders. Star snowboarder Chloe Kim noted that because of her immigrant parents, “this one definitely hits pretty close to home,” adding, “In moments like these, it is important for us to unite and stand up for one another.” But Hess’ experience is a cautionary tale for Olympians. The Winter Games, one of the world’s most patriotism-infused events, have arrived at a time when loud-and-proud patriotism is synonymous with Trumpism. Athletes who want to muse about what it means to be an American or inject nuance into simplistic narratives of American greatness must be prepared to get lambasted by the White House, right-wing news personalities, and an unimaginable number of X accounts with flag and eagle avatars.: “There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out. 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.” He ended the post by saying he “cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete.” Hess’ event, the men’s halfpipe, doesn’t begin until Feb. 19. In the meantime, it might be advisable to stay out of his
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