8 Feb (Reuters) – United States President Donald Trump criticized American Olympic skier Hunter Hess on Sunday, days after the athlete expressed mixed feelings about representing the USA at the Winter Olympics in northern Italy.
“If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the team, and it’s a shame he’s on it,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to Hess’ comments. “It’s very difficult to root for someone like that.”
Political tensions arose at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, including the presence of members of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency has faced widespread protests across the U.S. after agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis last month.
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During a news conference in Milan on Friday, Hess, a freestyle skier, said it was “a little difficult” to represent the US and that he felt mixed emotions.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of things going on that I’m not a big fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t either,” he said. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in America.”
Teammate Chris Lillis spoke out against ICE at the same press conference, saying he felt heartbroken.
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“I think as a country we need to focus on respecting everyone’s rights and making sure we are treating our citizens, just like everyone else, with love and respect,” Lillis said. “And I hope that when people look at the athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that this is the America we are trying to represent.”
