U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim called for unity and expressed support for fellow Team USA athlete Hunter Hess after President Donald Trump called the freestyle skier "a real loser."
“Obviously, my parents being immigrants, this one definitely has hit pretty close to home,” Kim, a two-time gold medalist, said at a news conference Monday when she was asked about Trump’s description of Hess, who earlier said he had mixed emotions about representing the U.S. in light of current of events.
“In moments like these, it is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another, for all that’s going on,” Kim said.
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Kim said she’s proud to represent the U.S. but added, “We are allowed to voice our opinions on what’s going on, and I think that we need to lead with love and compassion, and I would love to see some more of that.”
Hess, who is scheduled to compete in the men's freeski halfpipe competition next week, said he felt mixed emotions about representing the U.S. after he was asked for his views on Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t," he said.
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” he added.
Trump said on Truth Social that if Hess didn’t want to represent the United States, he shouldn’t have tried out for the team.
“It’s too bad he’s on it,” Trump said. “Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Hess responded Monday that while there is much is that great about the U.S., 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,” he said on Instagram. “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.”
Curler Rich Ruohonen spoke out as well on Tuesday, condemning immigration sweeps in his home state of Minnesota.
“I’d like to say I’m proud to be here to represent Team USA, and to represent our country. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota,” said Ruohonen, a 54-year-old personal injury lawyer who works in Minnesota.
“What a tough time it’s been for everybody. This stuff is happening right around where we live,” he added in a statement at the end of a press conference.
“I am a lawyer, as you know. We have a constitution, and it allows us freedom of speech,” Ruohonen went on.
Speaking alongside Kim on Monday, fellow Team USA snowboarders offered similar comments, with Maddie Mastro saying that she’s proud to represent the U.S. but that “we come together at times of injustice.”
Separately, freestyle skier and two-time gold medalist Eileen Gu also expressed support for Hess, saying she had so much “sympathy and empathy” for him, Reuters reported, but she added that the focus should remain on his skiing.
Gu was born in the United States but has represented China in 2022 and 2026.
“The whole point of sport is to bring people together,” she said, according to The New York Times. "One of the very few common languages, that of the human body, that of the human spirit, the competitive spirit, the capacity to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit. How wonderful is that?”
