President Trump responds to Hunter Hess’ remarks at the Olympics
“It’s a little tough. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not a big fan of,” said American freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess. In response, President Donald Trump called Hess a “real loser” in a post on Truth Social.
American freeskier Hunter Hess’ Winter Olympics concluded on Friday, February 20th with the men’s freeski halfpipe competition at Livigno Snow Park.
But before Hess competed in the medal match, he flashed an “L” on his forehead at the end of qualifying, a gesture aimed at President Donald Trump, who called him a “real loser” on social media following his comments that it would be difficult for him to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics due to the current political divide.
“Looks like I’m a loser,” Hess said to the cameras after his qualifying run.
Hess was one of four U.S. freeskiers to qualify for Friday night’s 12-person final at Livigno Snow Park. He posted a best score of 85.00 in his second qualifying run, which was a 2.25 point improvement from his first run.
In the final, he scored a personal best score of 58.75 points on the third run and finished in 10th place.
“I worked hard to get here. I sacrificed everything in my life to make this happen,” Hess said. “I’m not going to let that controversy get in my way. I love the United States of America. I can’t say it enough. In my first statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m very happy to be here, and I’m very happy to represent Team USA.”
The first-time Olympian attracted President Trump’s attention when he said at a press conference before the opening ceremony that it would be “a little difficult” to represent the United States on the Olympic stage. Hess’ teammates, as well as the four-person women’s halfpipe team led by three-time Olympic medalist Chloe Kim, discussed the current state of the United States, but Hess was the only one who led President Trump to slam Truth Social.
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not a big fan of,” Hess said at a news conference in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. “Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I’m representing everything that’s going on in the United States. I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people who have represented the United States before me, everything that I believe is good about the United States. I think if it aligns with my moral values, I just feel like I’m representing it.”
After winning gold in this event, Hess’ teammate Alex Ferreira told reporters in Livigo that he supported his teammate when asked about Hess’ gesture during the qualifying run.
“I’m on my teammates’ side,” Ferreira said.
As The Athletic noted, Hess also updated his Instagram profile, adding “Real Loser” to his bio.
Friday’s event concludes a 12-day period during which Hess had to sit and continue training for the event before competing in the Olympics following Trump’s comments. He called the layoff “the hardest two weeks” of his life.
“It was probably the hardest two weeks of my life,” Hess said. “I have never received such criticism before.”
According to Yahoo Sports, he further added, “Luckily, my family supported me and helped me get through it. There was a lot of noise, but I was never exposed to that kind of criticism. But with the help of my family, I was able to get through it. Skiing has saved my life time and time again, and it looks like it will do so again.”
This story has been updated with new information.
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