USA Athletes Who Ripped America Didn't Perform Very Well During Olympics

Unfortunately, part of the story of the 2026 Winter Olympics was the number of American athletes who decided to speak negatively about the United States rather than display pride for the country they had the privilege to represent on the global stage. 

Here are the U.S. athletes whose political comments drew the most attention during the Games, and how they fared. Spoiler alert: not well. 

Hunter Hess, Freestyle Skiing 

What Hess said: "It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now… there's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't," the American skier said on February 6. 

"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 are good about the U.S. I just think... If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it. Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S." 

Hunter Hess faced backlash after criticizing the United States prior to competing for the Red, White and Blue during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Hess did not earn a medal during the Games. 

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For what it's worth, Hess backtracked slightly with an Instagram post three days after his initial comments.

"I love my country 🇺🇸," Hess posted on February 9. "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… I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete." 

How Hess performed: 10th in men’s freeski halfpipe (out of 11 qualifiers). Alex Ferreira, an American who doesn't appear to have criticized the United States during the Olympics, won gold in the event. 

Amber Glenn, Figure Skating

What Glenn said: "It's been a hard time for the (LGBTQ) community overall in this administration. It isn’t the first time that we've had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights. And now especially, it's not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn't have to before, and because of that, it's made us a lot stronger."

Glenn did not elaborate on what she meant by "hard time for the LGBTQ community" or list any specific restrictions on that community under the Trump Administration that did not exist under previous administrations. 

Amber Glenn criticized the United States government and then performed very poorly during her individual short program figure skating routine. 

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In a separate interview, Glenn criticized ICE: "It's unfortunate that the term ICE isn't something we can embrace because of what's happening and the implications of what some individuals are doing. Unfortunately, in my own country, it is very upsetting and very distressing to see. And I can't imagine how people who have been impacted by that directly feel." 

How Glenn performed: Finished 5th in women's singles after a disastrous short program performance. Part of a gold medal winning team (7 skaters), but posted the worst of the four scores among individual USA skaters. 

Rich Ruohonen, Curling

What Ruohonen said: "We'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been for everybody. This stuff is happening right around where we live. And I am a lawyer, as you know, and we have a constitution, and it allows us to freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

"And what's happening in Minnesota is wrong. There's no shades of gray. It's clear. And I really love what's been happening there now with people coming out showing the love, the compassion, integrity and respect for others that they don't know and helping them out. And we love Minnesota for that."

How Ruohonen performed: He hardly performed, only entering as an alternate late during a blowout loss against Switzerland. The U.S. men did not medal. 

Jessie Diggins, Cross-Country Skiing

What Diggins said: "I want to make sure you know who I'm racing for when I get to the start line at the Olympics. I'm racing for an American people who stand for love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hate or violence or discrimination," she posted on Instagram. 

How Diggins performed: Bronze in the women’s 10km freestyle, 5th in the women’s 50km.