NEED TO KNOW

• After competing in his first events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess addressed being dubbed “a real loser” by President Donald Trump
• On Friday, Feb. 20, the 27-year-old athlete earned a spot in the finals for the men’s freeski halfpipe, after which he jokingly referred to his “loser” status while speaking with reporters
• He also told them that his experience so far at the Games was “probably the hardest two weeks of [his] life”

Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess reflected on his experience at the 2026 Winter Olympics after being dubbed “a real loser” by President Donald Trump.

The 27-year-old Oregon native made his Olympic debut on Friday, Feb. 20, finishing in fifth place in the men’s freeski halfpipe qualifiers and earning a spot in the finals, which take place later that same day.

After completing his first of two qualifying runs, Hess looked at reporters and fashioned his fingers into an “L” over his forehead, according to reporting by Reuters.

“Apparently I’m a loser,” he cheekily told them, a reference to the remarks made about him by Trump, 79, at the start of the 2026 Games.

Hess earned Trump’s ire after saying during a Feb. 6 press conference that representing the United States at the Games this year “brings up mixed emotions” due to the tense political climate.

“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,” he said at the time, adding, “Just because I wear the flag, it doesn’t mean I represent everything that is going on in the U.S.”

Trump fired back in a Feb. 8 post on Truth Social, claiming that Hess “says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” and adding, “If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it.” 

Looking back on the president’s attack, Hess told reporters on Friday that he endured what were “probably the hardest two weeks of [his] life,” according to The Athletic.

“I’ve never been subject to that type of criticism before,” he said. However, the athlete added that messages of support he received after Trump’s remarks “meant the world to [him]” and stressed that he felt a lot of love from his fellow U.S. Olympians.

Hess added that he wasn’t going to have his Olympic debut marred by “controversy like that,” saying, “I worked so hard to be here. I worked my entire life to make this moment happen,” Reuters reported.

“I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough,” Hess added. “My original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently some people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA.”

While Hess acknowledged that his comments subjected him to “a lot of noise and a lot of hate out there,” he stressed that his detractors’ opinions were also valid, saying that they were “super entitled to their opinion.”

The Olympic athlete is owning Trump’s insult with pride. He even changed his Instagram bio to read “a real loser.”

This isn’t the first time that Hess has addressed the insult. In a Feb. 9 post on Instagram, he wrote, “I love my country.”

“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,” he wrote.

Hess isn’t the only member of Team USA to speak out about politics while competing in Italy. Others, including figure skater Amber Glenn, have also shared their thoughts.

Vice President JD Vance addressed such comments from “Olympic athletes who pop off about politics” during an interview which was shared on X by CNN reporter Kit Maher.

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“My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” the vice president said. “You’re there to play a sport, and you’re there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics.”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

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