LIVIGNO, Italy — The last question to the United States women's snowboard halfpipe team was about President Donald Trump's social-media criticism of Team USA men's free skier Hunter Hess.
"There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of," Hess said at a news conference in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. "Wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S.
"I'm representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. I just think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it."
Hess' teammates on the dais with him that day also addressed the topic, but only the 27-year-old from Oregon drew the president's ire. Trump called Hess a "loser" and did not properly convey what Hess said in his post.
The four-member women's halfpipe team, led by two-time Olympian Chloe Kim, largely echoed what Hess originally said.
