The Olympics are over. How did the American athletes who made the news for hating Donald Trump do in terms of medals? If we assume a just God who hates a malevolent dictator, the virtuous #Resistance should have dominated the games. Did the Trump-haters in fact do better than expected?
“Lindsey Vonn Is Clear As Ice About Her Thoughts On Donald Trump”:
Vonn, who was preparing to qualify for the 2018 Games in PyeongChang at the time, was approached by CNN to see if she would go if asked. Her response was as icy as the snowy mountains she conquers. “Absolutely not,” Vonn said. “I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president. …I want to represent our country well. I don’t think that there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that.”
Fox News recently approached Vonn about the possibility she might get a second invite to the Trump White House. “First of all, I just want to say that every Olympic athlete from Team USA is normally invited… it has nothing to do with if you win a medal or not,” she began. “I’m not going to answer that question because — I’m just not going to answer it. I want to keep my passport.” It was a more diplomatic answer than the one she gave eight years earlier, but her meaning was clear. Donald Trump has a history of meltdowns when faced with dissent, and he tends to lash out at those who dare to oppose him. He disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles from a White House visit in 2018 because they wouldn’t promise all players would salute the flag. Who’s to say the president wouldn’t find a way to keep a star skier from getting to a major competition if she said something that wounded his pride?
As with my friend Mike Hawley, Trump turned out not to be Lindsey Vonn’s biggest enemy (Journal of Popular Studies regarding Vonn’s broken leg).
Amber Glenn was apparently a trailblazer in combining unusual sexual desires (behaviors?) with ice skating (unlike 100 percent conventional NBC host Johnny Weir):
Glenn, who is the first openly queer woman to represent the U.S. in Olympic figure skating, was asked directly about President Trump, his treatment of the LGBTQ community and how it affects her at a press conference on Feb. 4 for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The athlete, 26, told reporters that while it’s been “a hard time” for the community, she hoped to use her platform and her voice “to try and encourage people to stay strong.”
This sculpture in Austin’s UMLAUF Sculpture Garden reminds me that Taylor Swift was at the Games and sagely pointed out that “skaters gonna skate”:
(My personal favorite skaters this year: Isabeau Levito, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, and, of course, Alysa Liu.)
Then there’s Mikaela Shiffrin. “Alpine skiing-U.S. gold medal hope Shiffrin speaks up for diversity and inclusion” (Reuters):
“It’s always an honour and a privilege to represent Team USA and to represent your country,” she told a news conference when asked by a reporter how it felt to be representing the United States “given what’s happening there”.
The query chimed with more pointed questions faced by other U.S. athletes at the Games over President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, drew a smattering of boos at Friday’s opening ceremony in Milan. The host city has also seen protests against Trump’s policies.
Shiffrin said that for her “as this relates to the Olympics, I’m really hoping to show up and represent my values. Values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness and sharing.”
I don’t think we have to look too far to find a hater who does not value inclusivity and diversity! Where does the diversity-loving Shiffrin live? In a mansion in Edwards, Colorado, right near the Beaver Creek ski resort and not far from Vail. Her address is supposedly 43 Hollis Lane Edwards, CO 81632. Zillow says it is worth $5.2 million. Here’s a nearby 2BR apartment that a diverse person could purchase for $2.8 million:
Then there’s Hunter Hess, the freestyle skier who says that he wants to #resist ICE, but somehow ended up in Italy rather than in Minneapolis. NBC:
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
He continued: “I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. I just think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it.”
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” he said.
I hope that we can all agree on whose moral values are deficient/bankrupt and also that “a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of” means ICE detaining migrants and not Minnesota paper day care centers siphoning out all U.S. taxpayer cash.
They won Gold for virtue and Trump-hatred, but how did the above athletes actually do in competition?
He/she/ze/they is not exactly an athlete, but Justin Trudeau did taunt Donald Trump with a “you can’t take our game” message before the Canada v. USA hockey match.
Loosely related…
