olympics

MAGA senator suggests punishing Olympic athletes who criticize Trump

The United States has 232 athletes representing the country on the world stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Now, one Republican senator is calling for some of those athletes to be booted from the team for expressing a negative opinion about President Donald Trump's administration.

The Daily Beast reported Monday that Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wants to strip American athletes of their uniforms should they speak negatively about the current government while competing for Olympic gold. Scott wrote on X that the U.S. stood for "freedom and democracy" and then pivoted to calling for removing athletes from Team U.S.A. who expressed their First Amendment rights at the Winter Olympics.

"Any person who goes to the Olympics to represent the United States and then says they don't want to represent the United States should be immediately stripped of the Olympic uniform," Scott said in a video.

While Scott didn't name any specific athlete he felt should be stripped of their uniform, his comment comes on the heels of Olympic skier Hunter Hess giving his own nuanced view of patriotism. Hess — who is from Bend, Oregon — said over the weekend he had "mixed emotions representing the U.S. right now," and that he was "not the biggest fan" of the administration's policies.

"I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe that are good about the U.S.," Hess said.

In response to Hess' interview, President Donald Trump called Hess "a real Loser" on his Truth Social platform. The president also suggested that Hess shouldn't be on Team U.S.A. given his attitude toward the administration.

"U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics," Trump wrote. "If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this."

Hess didn't directly respond to Trump, but posted a follow-up message to his Instagram account on Monday expressing gratitude for living in a country that values freedom of speech.

"There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out," he wrote. "The best part of the Olympics is that it brings people together, and when so many of us are divided we need that more than ever. I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete."

Skier Chris Lillis also expressed criticism of the administration, with CNN reporting he was explicitly upset about the recent killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

"A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things," Lillis said. "I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States."

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JD Vance: Simone Biles shouldn’t be praised for 'weakest moment' after she quit 2021 Olympics

In the wake of Team USA's gymnastics team winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a 2021 clip has resurfaced of eventual Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) criticizing praise of legendary gymnast Simone Biles.

Democratic-aligned research group American Bridge posted the clip of Vance, who made the comments on a July 28, 2021 Fox News panel moderated by host Harris Faulkner. The panel was assembled shortly after Biles announced that she would not be joining her teammates in the all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

Faulkner began the interview by asking Vance if he thought Biles "let down the country." Vance responded that while he understood that Biles was "under an incredible amount of pressure" as the leader of Team USA's gymnastics squad, he seemingly suggested that the legendary gymnast's withdrawal from the 2021 Olympics was a harmful byproduct of the mainstreaming of therapy.

"What I find so weird about this, and it reflects more on the media than it does on Simone Biles, is that we've tried to turn a very tragic moment — Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team – into this act of heroism." he said. "And I think it reflects poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments."

When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Biles' withdrawal from the 2021 all-around gymnastics competition, the statement included praise of Biles for her "courage" in deciding to prioritize her mental health over Olympic gold.

"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," the IOC's governing body stated at the time. "Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals."

"We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many," the governing body added.

In the clip, Vance went on to acknowledge that while he understands "being an athlete at that level is incredibly tough," he nonetheless disagreed with the media's praise of Biles for her decision to put her mental health first.

"Look, being an athlete is tough. Being an athlete at that level is incredibly tough," Vance said. "A normal response would be, 'it's such a shame that she's going through this, it's shame that she quit.' But instead, what our press has done, I think, has turned this into this weird therapeutic moment: 'Let's praise her for doing this.' And I think that's really where the problem herein lies."

Watch the clip of Vance's remarks below, or by clicking this link. And if you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, the 988 hotline is available on a 24/7 basis.

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