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Team USA freestyle skiers express ‘mixed feelings’ about repping America in anti-ICE tirade

February 7, 2026 | | Print Article

The Winter Olympics have commenced and in sticking with modern tradition, some members of Team USA are using the games as a forum to express their personal political views, trashing their own country on the global stage.

In remarks that are drawing criticism on social media, freestyle skiers jumped at the opportunity to run down America even before the opening ceremony in Milan, Italy when one told reporters that just because he’s wearing the flag it doesn’t mean that he is down with the USA, especially when it comes to the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

“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, and I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics they realize that that’s the America we’re trying to represent,” skier Chris Lillis said.

Another Team USA competitor was more blunt about his feelings.

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. now I think,” skier Hunter Hess told reporters. “It’s a little 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.”

“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 going on in the U.S.,” he added.

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X users reacted to the skiers who just couldn’t be bothered to even pretend to respect America for a few days.

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In another disgusting anti-ICE political statement, British-American Gus Kenworthy who defected from Team USA to represent the U.K. in the games posted a vulgar picture to Instagram reading “f**k ice” in what appeared to be urine written in the snow.

The profane message encouraged his USA-based followers to call their senators to urge them to vote to withhold funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) if ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aren’t neutered.

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“Innocent people have been murdered, and enough is enough. We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities. Senators still have leverage right now, and Senator [Name] must use it to demand real guardrails and accountability — including getting ICE and CBP out of our communities, ending blank-check funding for brutality, and establishing clear limits on warrantless arrests, profiling, and enforcement at sensitive locations like schools and hospitals,” he wrote. “Please pass this message along to the Senator.”

They may be the first, but won’t be the last Team USA members seeking to boost their personal brands by crapping on America in front of the world.

Chris Donaldson
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