周日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，对于像美国队自由式滑雪选手亨特·赫斯这样的“失败者”，他“很难为其加油助威”。赫斯上周向记者透露，对于代表美国参加在意大利米兰科尔蒂纳丹佩佐举行的冬奥会，他“心情复杂”。
特朗普在其社交媒体平台上写道：“美国奥运滑雪选手亨特·赫斯真是个失败者，他说自己不会在本届冬奥会上代表自己的国家。如果是这样，他就不该参加选拔，而他竟然入选了，这太糟糕了。很难为这样的人加油。”
白宫未立即对总统的社交媒体帖子发表评论。
周五，在意大利冬奥会开幕式前举行的美国自由式滑雪队新闻发布会上，赫斯表示：“现在代表美国参赛，让我心情复杂。”
当时，有记者向美国队提问：“在国内局势紧张的情况下，身披美国队战袍、身带美国国旗参赛，对于为美国带来团结意味着什么?”赫斯在回答这一问题时表示：“这有点难。显然，目前有很多事情我并不太赞同，而且我觉得很多人也持相同看法。”
赫斯继续说道：“我认为，对我而言，我更多的是代表家乡的亲朋好友，代表之前那些参赛的前辈，以及代表我认为美国所有美好的事物。”“如果这与我的道德观念相符，我就觉得自己是在代表它。仅仅因为我身披国旗，并不意味着我就代表了美国正在发生的一切。”
围绕此次冬奥会，意大利国内发生了一些抗议活动，部分抗议活动是因未经证实的报道而起，报道称美国将派遣移民和海关执法局(ICE)特工前往冬奥会协助安保工作。对此，美国驻意大利和圣马力诺大使蒂尔曼·J·费蒂塔上周发表声明称，美国国土安全调查局(HSI)——国土安全部下属的调查机构，同时也监管ICE——的人员将以“纯粹的咨询和情报为基础”的角色出现在冬奥会上，“不会参与巡逻或执法工作”。
声明还进一步表示：“所有安保工作仍由意大利当局负责。”
在同一场新闻发布会上，美国队自由式滑雪选手克里斯·利利斯在回答同一问题时也表达了复杂的情绪。
利利斯表示：“对于美国正在发生的事情，我感到心碎。”“我认为，作为一个国家，我们需要关注尊重每个人的权利，确保我们以爱心和尊重对待我们的公民以及所有人。我希望，当人们看到运动员在奥运会上竞技时，他们能意识到这就是我们想要代表的美国。”
Trump criticizes 'loser' Team USA skier Hunter Hess over press conference comments
President Donald Trump said Sunday that it's “very hard to root for someone” like “loser” Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who last week told reporters that he has "mixed emotions" about representing the U.S. at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. 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,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
The White House had no immediate comment on the president's social media post.
At aTeam USA Freeski Teampress conference before the opening ceremonies in Italy Friday, Hess said that “it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now.”
“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,” Hess said, in response to a reporter's question to the team about "what it means to wear Team USA and the American flag in the hopes of trying to bring some unity" to the U.S. in the midst of ongoing domestic tensions.
"I think for me it's more I'm representing my friends and family back home and the people that represented before me and all the things that I believe are good about the U.S.," Hess continued. "If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it. Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
There have been protests in Italy surrounding the Games, some of them spurred by unsubstantiated reports that the U.S. would send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the Games to assist with security. In response, Tilman J. Fertitta, U.S. Ambassador to Italy and San Marino, said in astatementlast week that personnel from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, which also oversees ICE – would be present at the Games in a "strictly advisory and intelligence-based" role, "with no patrolling or enforcement involvement."
"All security operations will remain the responsibility of Italian authorities," the statement further said.
At the same press conference, Team USA freestyle skier Chris Lillis also expressed mixed emotions in response to the same question.
"I feel heartbroken about what's happening in the United States," Lillis said, in part. "I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights and making sure that we're treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that's the America that we're trying to represent."
