American Olympian finds defender in Vermont senator

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday over feedback he made about U.S. Olympian Hunter Hess.

Hess confronted the president’s wrath after saying he had “blended feelings” about representing the U.S. on the 2026 Olympic Video games in Milan Cortina. Trump responded by calling the skier a “actual loser.”

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Hunter Hess reacts through the males’s ski halfpipe remaining on the Toyota US Grand Prix on January 9, 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Dustin Satloff/US Ski and Snowboard/Getty Pictures)

“Trump referred to as American Olympian Hunter Hess a ‘actual loser’ for criticizing what is going on in our nation underneath Trump,” Sanders wrote on X. “Mr. President, this isn’t a monarchy. That is the USA and nobody has to bow all the way down to you.

‘Hess is just not a loser. He’s a proud American.”

Hess’ feedback got here because the Trump administration faces backlash over its use of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in enforcement operations. An incident involving ICE brokers in January left Renee Good useless in Minnesota. Border Patrol brokers additionally had a lethal encounter with Alex Pretti.

These incidents have been apparently used as a catalyst for the feedback made by Hess and his teammate Chris Lillis. Hess mentioned he had “blended feelings” about representing the US

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“Hess is just not a loser. He’s a proud American,” Senator Bernie Sanders mentioned of the Olympic athlete. (Drew Angerer/Getty Pictures)

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“It is blended emotions to symbolize the U.S. proper now, I feel. It is a bit of bit troublesome. There’s clearly quite a bit happening that I am not the most important fan of, and I feel lots of people aren’t,” Hess mentioned.

“I feel for me it is extra that I symbolize my family and friends again residence, the individuals who represented it earlier than me, all of the issues that I feel are good concerning the US. If it aligns with my ethical values, then I really feel like I am representing it. Simply because I am carrying the flag does not imply I symbolize all the things that is occurring within the US.

“I simply wish to do it for my mates and my household and the individuals who assist me to get right here.”

Trump referred to as out Hess on Fact Social.

“US Olympic skier Hunter Hess, an actual loser, says he won’t symbolize his nation on the present Winter Olympics,” he wrote.

Hunter Hess performs a trick within the halfpipe remaining through the World Cup US Grand Prix freestyle snowboarding occasion in Copper Mountain, Colorado, December 17, 2022. (AP Photograph/Hugh Carey, File)

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“If that is the case, he should not have tried out for the workforce, and it is a disgrace he is on it. It’s extremely onerous to advocate for somebody like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Fox Information’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.