Team USA's Hunter Hess, targeted by Trump over comments, flashes "L" sign after Olympic halfpipe qualifying
CBSN
American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in Olympic halfpipe qualifying, then leaned into the camera. He bent his left thumb and forefinger into the shape of an "L," lifted it to his forehead and pointed at it with the other hand. In:
American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in Olympic halfpipe qualifying, then leaned into the camera. He bent his left thumb and forefinger into the shape of an "L," lifted it to his forehead and pointed at it with the other hand.
"Apparently," he explained, "I'm a loser."
The 27-year-old received that label from President Trump at the start of the Games after skiers were asked at a news conference how they felt representing the country during the Trump administration's heightened immigration enforcement actions. Hess said that representing the U.S. "brings up mixed emotions" and is "a little hard."
"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. "So yeah, I just kind of want to do it like for my friends and my family and the people that supported me getting here."
Mr. Trump lashed out at the comments on TruthSocial, calling the Olympic skier "a real Loser" and saying that "it's too bad" Hess is on the Olympic team.
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