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Late. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reached out to President Donald Trump on Sunday over comments he made about U.S. Olympic hunter Hess.
Hess faced the president’s ire after he said he had “mixed feelings” about representing the United States at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Trump responded by calling the skier a “real loser.”
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Hunter Hess of the United States reacts during the Men’s Ski Halfpipe Final at the Toyota US Grand Prix at Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort on January 9, 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Dustin Satloff/US Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images)
“Trump called American Olympic hunter Hess a ‘real loser’ for criticizing what’s happening in our country under Trump,” Sanders wrote on X. “Mr. President, this is not a monarchy. This is the United States of America and no one is obligated to bow to you.
“Hess is not a loser. He is a proud American.”
Hess’s comments came as the Trump administration faced backlash over the use of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigration enforcement operations. An incident with ICE agents in January left Renee Good dead in Minnesota. Border Patrol agents also had a deadly encounter with Alex Pretti.
These incidents were apparently used as the catalyst for the comments made by Hess and his teammate Chris Lillis. Hess said he had “mixed feelings” about representing the United States
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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation targeting what Democrats describe as President Donald Trump’s “narcissism” that sought to prevent sitting presidents from putting their own names on federal buildings. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“It’s mixed feelings representing the United States right now, I think. It’s kind of 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.
“I think for me it’s more that I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people who represented it before me, all the things that I think are good about the United States. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m carrying the flag doesn’t mean I’m representing everything that’s going on in the United States.
“I just want to do it for my friends and my family and the people who support me in coming here.”
Trump called out Hess on Truth Social.
“U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess, a real loser, says he won’t represent his country in the current Winter Olympics,” he wrote.
Hunter Hess of the United States performs a trick in the halfpipe final during the World Cup US Grand Prix freestyle skiing in Copper Mountain, Colorado, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Hugh Carey, File)
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“If that’s the case he shouldn’t have tried out for the team and it’s a shame he’s on. Very hard to root for someone like that. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
