Some of the biggest women in winter sports are pushing back after Donald Trump took aim at a young Olympian, dragging the Games into the middle of his immigration crackdown and culture-war theatrics.
Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu both spoke out this week after Trump attacked freeskier Hunter Hess, who had expressed ambivalence about representing the United States amid sweeping immigration enforcement that has disrupted thousands of lives and followed deadly protests in Minnesota.
Asked about the crackdown, Hess said, “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.” The following day, Donald Trump lashed out on social media, calling the skier “a real Loser.”
Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose parents immigrated from South Korea, said the moment demanded solidarity.
“I think 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,” she said, noting that the issue hit close to home after facing racism throughout her career.
Gu, the American-born skier who competes for China and has long been a lightning rod herself, said she had spoken directly with Hess after winning silver in slopestyle. According to Gu, Hess told her she was one of the few people who could truly understand what he was experiencing.
“As someone who’s been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” Gu said, describing Trump’s attack as an “unwinnable press war” that risks overshadowing the Olympics themselves.
The backlash has not been limited to Hess. British-American skier Gus Kenworthy said he received death threats after participating in an anti-ICE protest last week, underscoring the growing hostility athletes say they face for speaking out.
Kim emphasized that pride in representing the United States does not require silence.
“I’m really proud to represent the United States. The US has given my family and I so much opportunity,” she said. “But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions of what’s going on — that we need to lead with love and compassion.”
Other American snowboarders echoed that sentiment. Bea Kim pointed to deep divisions at home while defending diversity as a national strength. Maddie Mastro said she felt both pride and sadness representing a country grappling with injustice.
Gu, meanwhile, lamented that the controversy had become a distraction from the Games themselves.
“I’m sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games,” she said. “It really runs contrary to everything that the Olympics should be.”
For Gu, sport remains one of the few universal languages left — one Trump’s latest outburst threatens to drown out.
“The whole point of sport is to bring people together,” she said. “The human body, the human spirit — the capacity to push limits. How wonderful is that?”
