{"id":490646,"date":"2026-02-09T19:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=490646"},"modified":"2026-02-09T23:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T23:22:01","slug":"us-stars-divided-after-trump-attacks-loser-teammate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=490646","title":{"rendered":"US stars divided after Trump attacks 'loser' teammate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu, two Olympic<\/a> standouts who have faced their share of hate over the years, each weighed in on Donald Trump's criticism of their friend, American freeskier Hunter Hess, for having said he didn't back the US president's heightened crackdown on immigrants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in moments like these, it is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another for all that\u2019s going on," said Kim, the two-time Olympic gold medallist whose parents are South Korean immigrants and who has faced racism throughout her career for her Asian heritage.<\/p>\n

Gu, the American-born freeskier who competes for China, said after her silver-medal win in slopestyle<\/a> that she had been in touch with Hess, who told her she was one of the few people who could relate to what he's going through.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Jake Paul's fianc\u00e9e wins emotional Winter Olympics gold<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cAs someone who\u2019s been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,\u201d said Gu, who was born in San Francisco and whose decision to compete for China turned her into a lightning rod.<\/p>\n

Hess drew Trump\u2019s ire when he was asked by reporters to give his views on the immigration crackdown that has claimed the lives of two protestors in Minnesota and disrupted thousands of lives of immigrants and US citizens. Hess answered: \u201cJust because I\u2019m wearing the flag doesn\u2019t mean I represent everything that\u2019s going on in the US\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The next day, Trump lashed out at Hess on his Truth Social account, calling him \u201ca real Loser\u201d and saying he would be hard pressed to root for him at the Games.<\/p>\n

Hess' friends \u2014 snowboarders and freeskiers competing this week in Livigno \u2014 were asked for their reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents being immigrants from Korea, this one definitely hits pretty close to home,\u201d said Kim, who begins defence of her title Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Watch the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 live and free on Channel 9 and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. Plus, every event live & on demand, every medal in 4K, and exclusive international coverage on<\/strong><\/em> Stan Sport<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DUip9fYjEv1\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp<\/a><\/p>\n

"I\u2019m really proud to represent the United States,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US has given my family and I so much opportunity, but I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions of what\u2019s going that we need to lead with love and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other American snowboarders spoke out for diversity and the right of expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are a lot of different opinions in the US right now. Obviously we\u2019re very divided,\u201d snowboarder Bea Kim said. \u201cI personally am very proud to represent the United States. That being said, I think diversity is what makes us a very strong country and what makes that so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong>More people have landed on the moon than attempted what the 'Quad God' will do at the Winter Olympics<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Teammate Maddie Mastro added: \u201cI\u2019m also saddened with what\u2019s happening at home."<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really tough and I feel like we can\u2019t turn a blind eye to that. But at the same time, I represent a country that has the same values as mine of kindness and compassion. And we come together in times of injustice,\u201d Mastro said.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong>This is Australia's bobsled for the Olympic Winter Games. So why have Team Netherlands painted it orange?<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Gu called it \u201can unwinnable press war\u201d for Hess and lamented the fact that the controversy could be a distraction for the athletes, and overshadow the beauty of the biggest event in winter sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu, two Olympic standouts who have faced their share of hate over the years, each weighed in on Donald Trump's criticism […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":490648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490646"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=490646"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":490651,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490646\/revisions\/490651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/490648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=490646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=490646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=490646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}