Trump calls Olympic skier from Oregon ‘a real Loser’ in Sunday social media post

President Donald Trump called an Olympic skier from Oregon “a real Loser” on Sunday morning, after the Team USA athlete made comments that he doesn’t represent “everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Reporters on Friday asked U.S. athletes at a news conference how they feel representing the country during the Trump administration’s heightened immigration enforcement actions. Freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who lives in Salt Lake City but grew up in Bend, replied that he had mixed emotions since he doesn’t agree with the situation.

“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,” Hess, 27 said. He added that he’s choosing to represent his friends and family at the Milan Cortina Games, as well “all the things I believe are good about the U.S.”

President Trump didn’t appear to take kindly to Hess’s public comments, and unleashed his critique on Truth Social two days later.

“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote. “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!”

The Oregonian/OregonLive wasn’t immediately able to reach Hess or U.S. Ski and Snowboard officials for comment.

Hess wasn’t the only athlete voicing discontent — or facing blowback

At Friday’s news conference with the athletes, freestyle skier Chris Lillis referenced Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying he’s “heartbroken” about what is happening in the U.S.

“I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect,” Lillis said. “I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

And U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said the LGBTQ+ community has had a hard time during the Trump administration.

Conservative figures criticizing the athletes on social media include YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, actor Rob Schneider and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — who Trump has endorsed for the Florida gubernatorial race in November. And there was a flood of vitriol directed at them from ordinary Americans.

Glenn posted on Instagram that she had received “a scary amount of hate / threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel.” She added that she will start limiting her social media use for her well-being.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Sunday that it is aware of an increasing amount of abusive and harmful messages directed toward the athletes and was doing its best to remove content and report credible threats to law enforcement.

“The USOPC stands firmly behind Team USA athletes and remains committed to their well-being and safety, both on and off the field of play,” it said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.