Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess probably thought he was giving a measured, grown-up answer about patriotism. Instead, he’s now the main character in a culture war pile-on featuring Sean Strickland and Jake Paul, two men whose job descriptions include punching things and tweeting like they’re still in high school.
Sean Strickland & Jake Paul Fuss Over Hunter Hess
At a recent Winter Olympic media availability, Hess said it brings up “mixed emotions” to represent the United States, explaining that “there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of” and adding, “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.” He framed his run for Team USA as something he also does for “friends and family” and people who helped him get there, not as a blanket endorsement of every federal decision.
United States Olympian Hunter Hess: “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S”
— Home of the Brave (@ofthebraveusa.bsky.social) February 7, 2026 at 2:43 PM
That nuance went down badly with the outrage machine. Right-wing outlets and commentators blasted Hess for airing “anti-American rhetoric” on the Olympic stage, with calls online for him to be sent home and stripped of his spot on the team. Some fans threatened to boycott the Winter Games entirely over comments that, in context, sounded more like discomfort with current policy than a rejection of the country itself. Fellow U.S. aerials skier Chris Lillis backed Hess’ general point, saying he was “heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States” and urging the country to focus on respecting everyone’s rights, but that did little to cool the noise.
Enter Sean Strickland, who was upset and saw a soft-spoken skier wrestling with civic identity and decided the appropriate response was to go full caps-lock bar brawl. Strickland ripped Hess as “a bitch,” told him to “get the fuck out of this country we dont want you here,” mocked him as a “gay ass skier,” and repeated “fucking bitch” for good measure before adding, “thank god ill never be around him… Lol that’s how you catch a case.” It fits neatly with Strickland’s long track record of crude social media blasts and open hostility toward LGBTQ people and women.
Jake Paul, clearly distressed abd never one to miss a chance to ride a viral wave, jumped in from the boxing side. The YouTuber-turned-fighter reposted the Hess clip and wrote: “Wow pls shut the f*** up From all true Americans If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else.”
Hess, for his part, hasn’t launched a counter-rant. His original comments centered on discomfort with “what’s going on” in the country, including immigration enforcement and domestic unrest, while still trying to separate his personal values from the government of the day. But in a media landscape built on clips and quote tweets, a cautious answer from a freestyle skier has turned into a loyalty test, with Strickland and Paul acting as self-appointed gatekeepers of what a “real” American Olympian is allowed to say.
Donald Trump then threw a fit and posted on Truth Social calling Hunter Hess “a real loser” for saying he had mixed emotions about representing the U.S. and that wearing the flag didn’t mean he represents “everything that’s going on in the U.S.” His message: if Hess feels that way, he “shouldn’t have tried out for the Team” and it’s “too bad he’s on it,” adding that it’s “very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
That put the sitting president squarely in the same outrage lane as Strickland and Jake Paul: all three hammered the idea that if you’re not fully on board with the current version of America, you shouldn’t be wearing USA across your chest. Trump’s jab helped turn a freestyle skier’s careful answer about ICE, protests, and his own values into a full-blown political litmus test.