After securing Olympic spot, US skier Hunter Hess makes ‘L’ gesture referencing Trump’s ‘loser’ comment

Following a successful qualifying run in the halfpipe, American freeskier Hunter Hess approached the camera. He formed an “L” with his left thumb and forefinger, placed it on his forehead, and pointed to it with his other hand.

“Apparently,” he stated, “I’m a loser.”

The 27-year-old, who had been criticized by former U.S. President Donald Trump at the start of the Games—an incident that led to threats against his family and sparked the first major controversy—finally competed on Friday. Energized by completing his first run, he made the “L” gesture and later explained that he had used the entire situation as fuel for his performance.

“I worked so hard to be here. I sacrificed my entire life to make this happen,” Hess said. “I’m not going to let controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. In my original statement, I felt I communicated that, but apparently people interpreted it differently. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA.”

Hess qualified as one of four Americans for the 12-man final, each with an opportunity to secure the U.S. team’s first gold medal after nearly two weeks of skiing and snowboarding events at Livigno Snow Park.

The controversy began during a news conference at the start of the Games when skiers were asked about representing the U.S. during the Trump administration’s heightened immigration enforcement.

Hess responded: “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.”

This remark attracted Trump’s attention.

On his Truth Social account, Trump wrote, “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.”

The uproar subsided after a few days. The freeskiers, whose events were scheduled later in the Games, went to Laax, Switzerland, for a week of training. Hess admitted it was a difficult period.

“I had a week that was pretty challenging,” he said. “Luckily, my family was there to support me and help me get through it. There was a lot of noise and I’ve never been subject to that kind of criticism. Skiing has saved my life time and time again and it seems to have done so again.”

He added, “There’s been a lot of hate out there. All those people are super entitled to their opinion, and I respect it.”

Ultimately, he said he had no regrets about his comments at the February 6 news conference. He insisted his message was intended as one of support.

“I stand with what I said. I love the United States of America. I cannot reiterate that enough. It means the absolute world to me to be able to represent Team USA here. I worked so, so hard to get here. I stick with what I said.”