Skier Hunter Hess changes tune after saying he has ‘mixed emotions’ about representing USA: ‘I love my country’

American skier Hunter Hess now says the United States is a great country.

Hess, from Bend, Oregon, has seemingly responded to intense backlash he received for saying that “it’s a little hard” to represented the United States at the Olympics.

‘There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better.’

On Friday, Hess told reporters that he had “mixed emotions” about wearing the red, white, and blue, saying, “Right now, I think, um, 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.”

Hess said that instead he felt he was representing his friends, family, and things in the United States that “align with my moral values.”

“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” he added.

These comments sparked huge backlash across the country; even the president took to his social media platform to call Hess a “real loser.”

“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

On Monday, Hess appeared to walk back his remarks in a post to his Instagram page.

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“I love my country,” the 27-year-old wrote alongside an American flag emoji.

“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,” he continued.

Along with a picture of himself smiling, Hess also wrote in the caption that “the best part of the Olympics is that it brings people together, and when so many of us are divided we need that more than ever. I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete.”

“Thanks to everyone for their support,” he finished.

The skier’s response has already fallen flat for some.

“Wow pls shut the f**k up,” boxer Jake Paul wrote on X. “From all true Americans[:] If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else.”

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Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brett Favre shared a statement from actor and writer David Kano that read, “If you don’t want to rep the USA, then give up your spot to someone who does.”

Hess will compete in the men’s freeski half-pipe qualification at the Winter Olympics on February 19, which begins at 4:30 a.m. ET.

The finals will air February 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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