Feb 21, 2026
3 min read
American athletes were called to account by Trump — and then attacked for doing so.
Our Olympians were placed in an impossible position.
American athletes held Trump accountable - and attacked him for doing so.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) promotes the myth that the Olympics are meant to be a safe, apolitical zone.This is what American athletes at this year's Winter Olympics are asking about the political and social unrest in their home country.
Since the Games began in Italy earlier this month, reporters have asked several athletes how they feel about representing America, putting them in the delicate position of balancing national pride with their displeasure with the current administration's actions.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess was asked what it's like to wear the American flag now: "Obviously, I'm not a big fan. And I don't think a lot of people like it." He added that he doesn't see himself as representing "Everything" about America — just "Everything that I think is good about the United States of America."
President Trump criticized Hess on Social Truth, calling him a "real loser" and saying he "wouldn't be trying for the team" if he felt that way about the country.Some fans, including Tennessee's Tim Burchett, wrote that Hess should "shut up and go play in the snow."please come back" saying: "You didn't go there to talk about politics."
Hess wasn't the only one to express distress when asked about the political climate in the United States.His teammate, gold medalist Chris Lillis, said he was "heartbroken" by the recent ICE crackdown in Minnesota.Asked about the issue at a separate press conference, pansexual figure skater Amber Glenn admitted that the LGBTQ community has encountered "difficulties" since Trump returned to power: "This has not only affected the queer community, but many other groups." Glenn later wrote on Instagram that she had received "horrible hate/threats" for her comments, so much so that she planned to take a break from social media while preparing for competition.
Trump and other Republicans may not like it when some American athletes express their concerns about representing the country, but it is the administration's actions that make the country difficult to defend and represent.
Only US players agree with what they see: America's reputation around the world is in tatters.Many people around the world are alarmed by the Trump administration's threat to invade Greenland, the controversial arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the brutality of U.S. immigration agents, including the fatal shooting of two Americans.Before the Games began, many people in Italy protested the news that the US would send ICE units to the Olympics to help with security.if it is bad to see the office outside the United States.) Vance was treated in the same way in Milan.
Despite Vance's claim that politics has no place in the Games, the Olympics have long been a platform for athletes to raise awareness of political tensions and social injustice.The most famous examples are from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City: Tommy Smith and John Carlos.Two black runners raise their fists in the air as they stand on the podium and receive their gold and bronze medals.This is now seen as a gesture of solidarity with the Black Power movement.
Smith and Carlos were vilified, cut from Team USA and sent home;it would be years before they were recognized as heroes.In 1975, the IOC revised its statutes, banning "all forms of political, religious or racial demonstration and propaganda" at Olympic venues.
Despite intense debate, the IOC's rules on demonstrations have remained unchanged for decades.Then, in 2021, it issued new guidelines that would give athletes more room to express their beliefs.Trying to separate sports from politics, especially at the international level, is impossible.
None of the American players who are talking now are breaking the rules.However, they are wondering what is happening in this country.It is not their fault that they cannot explain or defend.
