Photo: Hunter Hess // Instagram
American freestyle skier Hunter Hess has decided to embrace a label given to him by Donald Trump in an online attack. After his first halfpipe run at the Winter Olympics on Friday, he looked to the camera and made an “L” sign on his forehead, a reference to Trump calling him “a real loser” after he answered a reporter’s question about how he felt representing the United States.
“Apparently I’m a loser,” he told reporters with a smile. He has also updated his Instagram bio with a reference to the epithet, a sign that he is not letting the online hatred, from the head of state and others, get to him.
“I worked so hard to be here. I sacrificed my entire life to make this happen,” Hess said. “I’m not going to let controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. My original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA.”
The whole thing began at an Olympic press conference, where Hess was asked how he felt about representing the United States amid the government’s ongoing crackdowns on immigrants. “If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” he replied. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Hess wasn’t the only athlete to express respectful criticism of the American government (freestyle skier Chris Lillis and figure skater Amber Glenn expressed similar sentiments), but he was singled out by Trump in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country [sic] 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.”
“I love my country,” wrote Hess in a reply on Instagram. “There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out. The best part of the Olympics is that it brings people together, and when so many of us are divided we need that more than ever. I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete. Thanks to everyone for their support.”
After the online dustup, things died down, though. As the Associated Press reports, Hess and the other freeskiers went back to Laax, Switzerland for a week of training. “I had a week that was pretty challenging,” Hess explained. “Luckily, my family was there to support me and help me get through it. There was a lot of noise and I’ve never been subject to that kind of criticism. Skiing has saved my life time and time again and it seems to have done so again.”
The controversy doesn’t seem to have affected his game, either. On Friday morning, Hess finished fifth out of 25 skiers, advancing him to the finals (which is happening right now!).
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