Former U.S. President Barack Obama and current U.S. President Donald Trump had "very different" messages to the Americans competing at the Winter Olympics in Italy this month.
President Trump has been critical of some of the U.S. athletes, who have admitted to having mixed feelings on representing their country right now, in the wake of all that has happened with ICE agents in Minnesota.
"It's a little hard. There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of," American freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess said on Friday, before the opening ceremony, per USA TODAY. "Wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S."
U.S. aerials freestyle skier Chris Lillis feels similarly.
"I love the USA and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics," said Lillis, who won the gold medal in the mixed team aerials event in Beijing in 2022. "With that being said, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what's happened in the United States. .. 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."
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President Trump ripped the U.S. skier in a social media post on Sunday.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama had a very different message
Former U.S. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, had a very different message for all U.S. Winter Olympians.
His message has been trending on social media.
"To all the athletes representing @TeamUSA : I'm so proud of you. Your talent and perseverance have brought you to this moment, and Michelle and I will be joining Americans from across the country cheering you on," he wrote.
President Obama's message has been viewed more than 65 million times.
The Winter Olympics are continuing on NBC.