When Olympic Athletes Can't Defend Their Own Country

At a press conference in Milan during the 2026 Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Hunter Hess paused when asked what it felt like to wear the American flag right now. His answer was more honest than diplomatic: "There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't."

That moment of candor quickly became a political lightning rod. President Trump lashed out on Truth Social, calling Hess "a real Loser" and declaring he "shouldn't have tried out for the Team" if he felt that way about his country.

Athletes Caught Between Pride and Protest

Hess wasn't alone in his discomfort. Gold medalist Chris Lillis said he was "heartbroken" over ICE's recent actions in Minnesota. Figure skater Amber Glenn, who is pansexual, acknowledged that the LGBTQ community has been having a "hard time" since Trump returned to power, adding that "it's not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities."

Glenn's comments triggered such a "scary amount of hate/threats" that she took a break from social media. When she stumbled during her short program and finished 13th place, critics pounced: "Maybe she should focus less on her sexuality, and trying to dunk on conservatives, and focus on skating."

Vice President Vance—who had just been booed by crowds at the opening ceremony—dismissed the athletes' concerns: "You're not there to pop off about politics."

America's Image Problem on the World Stage

But the athletes' unease reflects a harsh reality: America's international reputation has taken a nosedive. The Trump administration's threats to invade Greenland, the controversial capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and aggressive immigration enforcement—including the fatal shootings of two American citizens—have horrified observers worldwide.

Before the Games began, hundreds of protesters in Italy demonstrated against news that the US would send an ICE unit to assist with Olympic security. While the Department of Homeland Security routinely deploys agents overseas for major events, the demonstrations revealed how poorly the agency is viewed internationally.

The athletes aren't creating controversy—they're simply acknowledging what anyone can see. When asked to represent their country, they're finding it increasingly difficult to defend.

The Myth of Apolitical Olympics

The International Olympic Committee pushes the fiction that the Olympics exist in an apolitical bubble. But history tells a different story. The most iconic moment came at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, when Black sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists on the podium—highlighting the hypocrisy of world-class athletes competing for a country that treated them as second-class citizens.

Smith and Carlos were vilified, suspended, and sent home. It would be years before they were recognized as heroes. In 1975, the IOC banned "every kind of demonstration or propaganda, whether political, religious or racial" at Olympic venues.

Those rules remained largely unchanged until 2021, when the IOC issued new guidelines allowing athletes more room to express their beliefs in press conferences and on social media—tacit admission that separating sports from politics is impossible.

The Uncomfortable Truth

None of the American athletes speaking up now is violating IOC rules. They're simply answering journalists' questions honestly. The problem isn't their responses—it's that they can't explain or defend what's happening in their country.

When Representative Tim Burchett tells athletes to "shut up and go play in the snow," he's missing the point. These athletes didn't seek out political controversy. They're being asked to account for their nation's actions, and they're struggling to find adequate answers.