Conservative website Townhall and the MAGA community are exploding over American athletes “going viral” for “choosing to diss the country that they were sent to represent at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.”
The MAGA community and its entertainers take as fact that President Donald Trump and America are one and the same, despite one being a 250-year-old nation and the other being a 79-year-old man in declining health.
Townhall notes American freestyle skier Hunter Hess posted on social media that representing his home country conjured “mixed emotions” because there’s “a lot going on” that he’s “not the biggest fan of.”
“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” said Hess. “Just because I wear the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S.”
Another American skier, Chris Liller, admitted he was “heartbroken” over “what’s going on with ICE and the protests.”
“I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and treating our citizens, as well as everybody, with love and respect,” Liller said. “I hope that, when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that’s the America we’re trying to represent.”
Both of the posts Townhall cited were reposted along with harsh comment from critics, with MAGA entertainment site RedWave Press calling Liller’s statement “disgusting,” and MAGA commenter Jon Root describing Hess as “insufferable.”
“If you’re not proud to represent the red, white, and blue, stay home,” Root said on X.
Much of the MAGA community was stung with similar fury as they witnessed Trump’s long-distance popularity plummet in real time. A mere handful of months ago, the president drew cheers and adoration from athletes and entertainers. But now his second-in-command gets booed at the Olympic opening ceremony and Trump refuses to attend popular sports events for fear of getting slammed by crowds of critics.
“YOU chose to wear our flag. YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the Olympics. If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME,” lamented Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds on X.
“These athletes make me physically sick,” posted MAGA commenter Mark Walker on X. “… If the US Olympic Committee had any integrity, which of course it doesn’t, they would send these entitled brats home where they could sort out their ‘mixed emotions.’”
“Send him home now and give his spot to a more appreciative athlete who will respect his country, God and the president of the United States,” posted another MAGA account.