American snowboarder Chloe Kim was not looking to turn her Olympic event into a sideshow.
The two-time gold medalist from California was subject to the most popular — and divisive — question being asked of U.S. Olympians at the 2026 games in Italy.
‘The US has given my family and I so much opportunity.’
On Monday, a female reporter asked a panel of Americans how they “feel representing Team USA right now.”
The open-ended question has been a source of much controversy already, but when Kim spoke up, it was probably not what the reporter was hoping for.
“Obviously my parents being immigrants, this one definitely hits pretty close to home,” Kim began. “I think in moments like these, it is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another for all that’s going on.”
While her answer was not likely to please both sides of the political aisle, Kim continued.
“I’m really proud to represent the United States. The U.S. has given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions on what’s going on,” the 25-year-old added. “And I think that we need to lead with love and compassion. And I would love to see some more of that.”
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The question in Livigno, Italy, seemed to be deliberately politically divisive. The reporter prefaced it with a reminder that President Donald Trump had called Kim’s “teammate” Hunter Hess “a real loser.”
Hess is an American freestyle skier who told reporters that he had “mixed emotions” about representing the United States, which the president replied to by saying Hess should not have tried out for the team.
“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.
Hess later walked back his comments, stating on his social media that he loves the United States, while adding, “But there are always things that could be better.”
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Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Kim, born in Torrance, California, is defending her Olympic gold in women’s snowboard half-pipe, having won at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2022 games in Beijing.
Kim qualified for the finals on Wednesday, finishing first in the qualifier ahead of Japan’s Sara Shimuzu and American teammate Maddie Mastro, according to the Olympics.
The final takes place on Thursday, February 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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