For 232 American athletes, years of rigorous training have culminated in this moment: the Winter Games in northern Italy, where they’re poised to deliver their best on ice and snow. Yet, as often happens, the spirit of sport is being overshadowed by the persistent specter of politics.
This competition kicks off after a challenging year, one marked by the Trump administration’s denigration of Europe, threats against allies, and a controversial immigration crackdown at home. These policies have sparked significant outrage, even reaching Italy, and now this opposition has followed the U.S. team onto the Olympic stage. American athletes, coaches, and fans alike are left to navigate—or attempt to avoid—this unforeseen political turbulence.
Last week, Hunter Hess, a skier from Bend, Ore., openly shared his “mixed emotions” about representing the United States. He noted, “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of,” emphasizing that “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
These candid remarks quickly provoked a furious response from then-President Trump. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, Mr. Trump branded Mr. Hess “a real Loser.” He added, “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.”
The president’s comments came just two days after the Games’ opening ceremony in Milan. During the parade of nations at San Siro stadium, audible jeers and boos erupted as Vice President JD Vance briefly appeared on the massive screens while the U.S. team, waving American flags, marched past.
Initially, Phillip DiGuglielmo, coach to U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu, who was in the stands, mistakenly believed the crowd’s disapproval was aimed at the athletes. “It was supposed to be the pinnacle of my life to see my athlete walk into the stadium, but it turned into a really sad moment for me,” recalled Mr. DiGuglielmo, whose grandparents immigrated from Italy. “I felt like, hey, the athletes don’t deserve this.”
He later learned the boos were directed at Mr. Vance, but the worry lingered: some athletes might have heard the jeers instead of the applause.
Zach Werenski, a defenseman for the U.S. men’s hockey team, was also in the stadium but only learned of the boos via social media later. Earlier that day, he had met Mr. Vance. “He’s a proud American and he wants all the athletes here to show well for our country and that’s our goal,” Mr. Werenski said.
Despite the political undercurrents, Mr. Werenski asserted he wouldn’t let it sidetrack his performance. “I just try and block all that out,” he stated.
The International Olympic Committee consistently portrays the Games as a neutral ground, a space where athletes can compete “without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments,” as I.O.C. president Kirsty Coventry emphasized at the opening ceremony.
However, adorned in their national colors and emblems, athletes inevitably become symbols of their countries’ values. This reality leaves American competitors in Italy grappling with the strong emotions stirred by Trump administration policies.
Just last week, news that investigative agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would join a State Department security team at the Olympics ignited anger among Italians, already incensed by similar actions of federal agents in Minneapolis. On Friday, hundreds protested, some brandishing a large anti-ICE banner declaring, “Milan despises you.”
The uproar quickly prompted the American figure skating, hockey, and speedskating federations to swiftly rename a hospitality venue for athletes in Milan, changing it from “Ice House” to “Winter House.”
Inside the newly christened venue on Saturday, Annie White, the chief marketing officer for U.S. Figure Skating, expressed surprise: “I never thought the surface we skate on would potentially become a polarizing word.”
Mr. Vance, who traveled to Italy with his wife, Usha Vance, and their children, met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, though he steered clear of public political discussions during his visit. He and his family attended a figure skating team event in Milan. Evan Lysacek, a 2010 Olympic champion skater accompanying the vice president, noted that Mr. Vance’s daughter enjoyed the fashion, while his two sons “mostly wanted to make sure that America is going to win.”
By Sunday morning, no U.S. team member in Italy had publicly voiced support for the Trump administration. U.S. Olympic committee guidelines permit athletes to champion social and racial justice but caution against engaging in partisan politics.
Nonetheless, many American Olympians have found themselves pressed to articulate what it means to represent the United States in this climate.
“I just stay focused on the fact that there are a lot of really good people at home who I am proud to represent,” commented Summer Britcher, a luger from New York, during an interview at the Olympic Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
When a Norwegian journalist posed a similar question at a news conference in Cortina on Saturday, Mikaela Shiffrin, a three-time Olympic medalist skier, paused briefly. Ms. Shiffrin ultimately affirmed it was “an honor and privilege” to compete for her country, then, referencing prepared remarks quoting Nelson Mandela, expressed her desire to represent “values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness.”
Other competitors are more actively using their platform for political advocacy. Amber Glenn, the three-time U.S. national figure skating champion, told reporters on Wednesday, “I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics, but politics affect us all.”
Ms. Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, was asked about the Trump administration’s policies concerning L.G.B.T.Q. Americans. She firmly stated, “It is something that I will not just be quiet about.”
Skier Lindsey Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, was asked by a Canadian journalist on Tuesday about “everything going on in Minnesota.” She replied that the state is “where I grew up, and my heart is incredibly heavy for everyone at home.” She added, “We are more than what’s happening right now.”
The Italian hosts of the Games, no strangers to their own complex domestic politics, seem inclined to extend a degree of understanding to the athletes. Barbara Barile, 57, who attended the opening ceremony in Milan, remarked, “We look at the United States with real, great concern. We must distinguish between those who govern and those who are governed.”
Skepticism toward the United States is hardly new in Italy. Despite strong historical ties, a undercurrent of “anti-Americanism has been here for a long time,” explained Gregory Alegi, a historian at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome.
The Italian political right, he noted, “has never forgiven the U.S. for defeating Mussolini,” while on the left, “they’ve never forgiven the U.S. for winning the Cold War.”
Prime Minister Meloni’s supporters generally appreciate her efforts to maintain a close relationship with Mr. Trump. However, the recent conduct by ICE agents in Minneapolis has galvanized Italians across the political spectrum against that particular aspect of the U.S. administration’s policies.
At a Saturday night figure skating event, many American flags proudly waved in the stands. Yet, some American spectators, anticipating potential negative reactions, initially arrived in Italy intending to downplay their national identity.
Helen Wehner and her brother Andrew, for instance, chose not to bring any American flag-themed gear to the Games. However, soon after their arrival, Ms. Wehner began to reconsider. “Once you’re here you see that it’s really about the athletes,” she shared. “I want the athletes to see they have some support.”
Indeed, at a curling event on Friday in Cortina, the Wehners ultimately allowed an American volunteer to paint the stars and stripes on their cheeks.