British News Agency

Trump criticized Hess in a post on Truth Social on Sunday after the athlete said he had “mixed feelings” about representing the United States at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy due to the current political climate.

Before Friday’s opening ceremony in Italy, Hess said he felt he represented certain aspects of the United States “as long as they align with my moral values,” but openly stated that he was “not the biggest fan” of everything happening in the country.

“It’s a bit difficult. Honestly, there are a lot of things happening that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think many people feel the same,” Hess said. “Just because I’m carrying the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

In his post, Trump wrote: “U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess, a real loser, says he does not represent his country at the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have competed in the trials and it’s terrible that he’s on the team. Very hard to support someone like that. Make America Great Again!”

Hess is not the only athlete this year to criticize his own country. While American athletes competing for gold medals have taken center stage, many are using their global platforms to voice criticism of certain White House policies from the sidelines.