Red, White — and Ashamed? Team USA Skiers Bash the US
“Dude, f*** you. Your answer is ‘I’m not a politician, I’m a skier. I wear my flag with pride.'”
Representing the U.S. on the international stage is not just a personal milestone — it is a privilege that comes with responsibility. More and more, however, we’re seeing Team USA athletes using the honor of wearing the red, white, and blue not to showcase American excellence, but to air grievances and signal ambivalence about the very country they are supposed to represent.
When athletes use their international platform to question or criticize the U.S., they aren’t just speaking for themselves — they are projecting division, ingratitude, and contempt to the rest of the world, all while benefiting from the opportunities America provides.
Exhibit A would be Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, a native Oregonian. During a Friday press conference at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Hess said, “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now… Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
“So, yeah, I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support[ed] me getting here.”
Hess’s words did not sit well with Attorney Marc J. Randazza, who replied on X, “Well, I think he should get an endorsement deal from Tampax. Dude, f*** you. Your answer is “I’m not a politician, I’m a skiier. I wear my flag with pride. If any of you have a problem with that, let’s see what your sh** a** country has been up to.”
Randazza is, of course, right.
For his part, freestyle skier Chris Lillis, who hails from Rochester, New York, told reporters he is “heartbroken” about what’s currently happening in the U.S.
Lillis, who won a gold medal in the mixed team aerials event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, said, “A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States.
He continued, “I’m pretty sure you’re referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that. 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 that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” he added.
Lillis is heartbroken that the federal government is enforcing U.S. immigration laws, but the Olympics rock.
[The clip below includes remarks from both Hess and Lillis.]
Well, I think he should get an endorsement deal from Tampax.
Dude, fuck you. Your answer is "I'm not a politician, I'm a skiier. I wear my flag with pride. If any of you have a problem with that, lets see what your shit ass country has been up to." https://t.co/l68bV7ntDF
— Marc J. Randazza 🇺🇸 🇮🇹 🇧🇷 (@marcorandazza) February 6, 2026
Former captain of the U.S. gold medal 1980 “Miracle On Ice” Hockey team, Mike Eruzione, also took to Twitter to condemn Hess
Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends. Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends some athletes just don’t get it
— MIKE ERUZIONE (@MERUZIONE) February 7, 2026
American figure skater Amber Glenn, the first openly queer woman to represent the United States in Olympic figure skating, also spoke at the press conference.
According to Chron, Glenn “came out as pansexual in an interview with the Dallas Voice in 2019.” How wonderful!
The athlete from Plano, Texas, has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights and used her platform to advocate for the community.
While Democratic Wins Media praised Glenn for elevating LGBTQ+ issues and described her remarks on Friday as powerful, Red Wave Media viewed them differently.
Glenn said, “It’s been a hard time for the community overall under this administration … and we’re trying to fight for our human rights.”
She added, “I know that a lot of people say, ‘You’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics.’”
“But politics affect us all,” Glenn said. “It’s not something I’m going to be quiet about, because it affects us in our everyday lives.”
BREAKING: American figure skater Amber Glenn just powerfully spoke about how she is using her platform to support LGBTQ+ Americans under the Trump Administration. This is amazing. pic.twitter.com/VRyKbsMUWT
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) February 7, 2026
These athletes might have learned something from American tennis stars who showed how to handle the spotlight at last month’s Australian Open.
When Owen Lewis, a reporter for The Athletic, repeatedly pressed players to make disparaging comments against the United States, they declined to take the bait. Rather than indulging his line of questioning, the athletes shut it down. Lewis’s persistence in chasing inflammatory soundbites was so conspicuous that his efforts — rather than the players’ responses — ended up becoming the story.
In the clip below, tennis player Amanda Anisimova pushes back against the reporter’s line of questioning and avoids criticizing the United States.
Amanda Anisimova was asked if what’s been happening in the U.S. over the last year complicates her feelings of playing under the American flag
“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players how it feels to play under the American flag right now. I’m curious how you feel..”… pic.twitter.com/hFMYBT05SE
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 22, 2026
Finally, Fox News reported that British-American freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy shared a “graphic” anti-ICE message on his Instagram page. The post included a photograph of the words “f*** ICE” etched into the snow — letters that appeared to have been written using urine.
That’s pretty vulgar. I kind of hope he finishes his event behind Hess and Lillis.
British-American Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy urinates “f*ck ice” into the snow ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Italy.
The skier then told all his followers to "speak up against ICE" and gave them a script to tell their senators.
Kenworthy is competing for Team… pic.twitter.com/g9OiQWkeHq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 6, 2026
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
This is Olympic level douchebaggery. The left is always whining about ‘muh democracy’ yet simple enforcement of immigration law causes them to melt down completely? Fu*k off you pathetic, weak c*nts. Due to your complete and abject stupidity you have forfeited your right to have an opinion that anyone cares to hear about. Just shut up and dribble.
If you clowns are ashamed then don’t return to the US.
You can take your commie ass to Canada or just stay in Europe where you can be a slave to the Muslim masters when they take over.
If you do win a medal, please insert it up your bum where your head is currently located.
I’m down with a bug today, was just thinking about turning on the boob tube and watching some of the Olympics. I guess I’ll pass.
You can always cheer on … oh…say…. Hungary.
Much like many of us cheered for any team but the US Woman’s soccer team the last time they played in an international tournament.
I hope these anti American olympians don’t medal
Hoenig’s (sp?) ski fell off mid air, too bad it wasn’t Hess instead.
I guess after the Grammys, the Winter Olympics said hold my beer.
If they want to shoot off their ignorant stupid mouths that’s fine, Just don’t do it when your overseas and wearing the flag. That tacky and worse. The same goes for entertainers and athletes holding US citizenship.
Wanted to up vote. Sorry. Could we have more space between up/down votes?
No problem. I’ve done it too. We’ve all probably done it one time or another,
Shut up and ski.
That’s going to be tough on the ice skater though.
Hey, he brought it on himself.
It was intentionL. Make him do whatever that thing is where they go down a ramp and fly through the air. The ski jump?
Make him do it with skates, not skis.
Ooh. Kinda like running a train down the Interstate
Pansexual is such an elite, privileged, celebrity thing to declare. If you declare yourself as pansexual in the middle class or below, you are living with your parents for companionship, even if you are financially whole.
Pansexual
Do they eat pancakes while having sex?
Just stop… please
Knotholes, potholes, portholes, weepholes, manholes.
It’s an exhausting lifestyle.
Isn’t it “personholes” 😉
But just as in real life, you know it’s REALLY manholes.
What the @#$! is a “pansexual” anyway? Is this the new “bisexual” incorporating the trans gender delusions?
I described it above. It’s not limited to people.
I think it semi solidifies their gender fluidity or something.
What a miserable bunch of people.
“Gender gelled?”
Damn, have to add ANOTHER stripe to that damn flag.
If representing the United States is such a burden, then don’t do it. Or, if you can’t do what we sent you to do, the US Olympic Committe should put your ignorant, fame-seeking butt on the next jet home.
It’s past time for athletes selected to represent the USA at international competitions to have mandatory media training and read from the same script ‘I’m here to compete in X event as representative of the USA..next question’. It they won’t then they can be replaced by another athlete who will. If the USA Olympics Committee refuses to apply such media strictures then they can be replaced as well. Heck if it comes down to it we’ll pull a random US Citizen fan in attendance out of the stands to compete for the USA as part of Team USA. If you’re only interested in representing ‘friends and family’ then go ask Lilly for a job at AT&T.
The Luge would be pretty scary
Just saying…
12-year olds beg for “more!” of that sort of * at Six Flags.
‘You buys your ticket you takes your chance’. Personally I can’t relate to Winter Olympics events very well, not a good deal of amateur winter sports or even casual opportunities for them in the deep South. Summer Olympics track and field is far more my thing, especially middle distance running along with Judo and shooting sports.
You know. They all seem to want th bullish treatment
Athletes, especially winter athletes, don’t have a lot of options to make money on their medals
I don’t think any of them that professed disdain for our country will be picked to do commercials.
I laugh thinking of all these countries like Japan, China, Hungary, Georgia, laughing at these fools
Just try to walk in any of their countries and demand housing, medical, education and finally citizenship
I imagine the first stop would be prison but then maybe cast into the winter snow outside of the country with maybe a jacket, no money, no food….probably wouldn’t make it “home”
They are all fools
The first athlete, especially a Gold winning athlete, who expresses their love for the USA, going to be the face of some assume products and serious money!!!
Bank on it
“I don’t think any of them that professed disdain for our country will be picked to do commercials.”
Don’t underestimate Subway — they’re not bankrupt YET.
Do any of them happen to be pedophiles? It’s a big resumé booster.
It has always been amazing to me that people who bash the US so much have no issue taking the advantages that the US gives in order to make it much further than they could on their own.
White courtesy phone for Bernie Sanders….
I’d love to see the USA lose bigly in the Olympics only if to show that activists are not “elite” and are not the best we have to offer.
Disgusting!
Obvious their education was incomplete. When you compete for the country that has set more standards, moral standards, and guidance to other nations that don’t have the foundation that we have, you need either say nothing or thank God you live in the USA.
Don’t bash that country because you think you are such Unusual individual, you are a fool. What What would you do if one of these jail released from Venezuela or another country hurt a member of your family or some of your friends.? You need to start thinking about things differently. If it were easy to get the criminals out of here, our men and women would do it.
It ain’t easy when they’re being hidden by other Americans, who still believe that everyone in this country is a saint.
“These athletes might have learned something from American tennis stars who showed how to handle the spotlight at last month’s Australian Open.”
They might have learned even more from the stellar state of Megan Rapinoe’s career.
These pukes make me sick. Totally self-serving and moronic ingrates, subversives and agitators.
“And, the gold medal for Narcissism, goes to…”
A correct response would be something along the lines of “Why don’t you go ask the athletes from the South American countries, Mexico, Somalia, the Muslim countries, African nations and others why so many of their citizens are fleeing their homes for our country? Ask them if they’re proud of representing hellholes that their own countrymen flee in droves. We all know why. Because the rest of the world combined can’t measure up to the US. Next question.”
Absolutely not. The *correct* response is “Why are you asking my opinions on politics? I’m proud to represent the US in (fill in name of event). Leave politics to the politicians. Now, do you have any questions about (fill in name of event)? Don’t put down your fellow competitors, don’t comment on things that have no relevance to your sport, don’t defame, criticize, or act like a little crybaby.
No it’s the correct response because all of these reporters and other countries just want to talk trash on the US. Throw it back into their third world faces. I could care less about the Olympics or the spirit of the games.
And I’m tired of pretending the rest of the world is anywhere near our level.
Representing the USA (on our dime) is a privilege, not a right. If, they are selected to represent us, they need to represent all of us. If they cannot, they should not be allowed to represent the USA (on our dime) since they are only able to represent some of us.
This olympics stuff is not funded by US tax dollars. I looked it up when this article came up.
What do you mean by “on our dime”?
And they represent the US Olympic Committee, not the government. I don’t know in what sense they’re supposed to represent “all of us”, since none of us have any say, however indirect, in anything to do with this.
Nothing like riding to the top on what you hate. Can say he’s not a phony.
If the US Olympic committee had any balls they would yank this scum out and send them home. Who do these two think paid for their training and care while olympians? The US and its taxpayers! Don Lemon got hired by Elon Musk to work for X and in his first interview with Musk, insulted him and was sumarily fired. That should be the fate of these anti-Americans.
Huh?! What do you mean by that?
Next you’ll be saying we pay for Trump’s ice cream, or something like that.
But PRESIDENT Trump isn’t trashing the country while eating the ice cream, is he?
And since he donates his salary, we are still in the black…
They should be withdrawn from the rest of their events, if any, and sent home.
I keep seeing snide remarks about the bobsled team from Jamaica. Stop it! They may have blown it, but I give them full marks. Why? Because they tried!
I bet they didn’t slag Jamaica either.
they got at least 1 movie out of it, Maybe 2.
They’re not snide. They’re celebratory. The Jamaicans had way better spirit than these whiny a*holes. It was also great PR humor, in a Revenge of The Nerds kind of way. Everybody won that showing, even the Jamaicans.
So there’s no snow in Jamaica, so what? Do you realize that the UK Olympic shooting team can’t even practice in their own country because their guns (mere smallbore pistols!) are artificially banned, and have to travel to Belgium or France every time they want to practice?
Now there’s a classy way to throw relevant shade at the stupid a*holes back home who f* over their own team..
Upon a more detailed reading I realize I gave a poor cite for this information. The article I chose was an April Fool’s joke. Though the joke centered on the team being equipped with “Trigger Trainers,” it also threw doubt on the actual gun ban situation, which is real.
Two other unimpeachable sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4162498.stm
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/gun-laws-backfire-on-british-shooters-20060324-gdn88j.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true
What virtue-signalling idiots they have for national leaders.
Olympics? Who knew? Literally – a couple of headlines yesterday and today are the first I’ve heard about Olympics this year. I can’t even say where it’s happening. A few decades ago, I would have been glued to the coverage. Now? Meh.
Back in 68 I was infuriated to watch Smith and Carlos raise their gloved fists in Mexico City. They should have been stripped of their medals and citizenship.
I’d love to put every one of these worthless brats into a Time Machine and transported back into a 1940’s Chicago police interrogation room. The rubber hose and telephone book treatment would teach them a lesson.
Glad I am not watching
The US government soends bug $$ for years for each of these athletes.
The sole purpose of which is to have them serve as ambassadors of the US on the world stage at a high profile event.
ANY athlete that uses that stage to talk trash about the US shoyld instantly be kicked off the team and flown home.
No exceptions.
And, if they do it after winning s medal, strip them of their medal.
Have them permanently ineligible for any taxpayer funding related to their sport and vanned from future teams.
Teams like the US women’s soccer team should be disbanded entirely. Admin, coaches and players are universally anti-American and pro-American players are deliberately rejected from playing. Scrap it and, maybe, rebuild later with all new people.
Since when? In what way does it spend this money?
WRT the Women’s Soccer team, while it would be painful for the non-woke, non-LB players, the answer is for 50 male soccer players to decide they are all woMen, and try out for the team. Once all of the Women are off the team, proceed to win the World cup. After that, donate the winnings to a Womens support organization, and suddenly realize it was all a mistake. And all quit at once. Maybe that would underscore the stupidity of the entire destructive movement.
Then why is he included in this story. He’s not representing the USA, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t criticize it in public.
The skier in the photo with his hunched shoulders, sad eyes, drooping neck, drooping lips, and girly hair looks pathetic!