Eugene Scott, a journalist based in Washington, D.C., and a visiting fellow at the Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute, is a contributing Globe Opinion writer.
President Trump and some of his supporters this week criticized several Americans competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy after they condemned the president’s stances on LGBTQ rights, immigration, and other issues.
The idea that US athletes should keep their politics to themselves is a troubling one. Not only is it selectively applied, but it also suggests that specific individuals are the definitive sources of what it means to be an American. This rigid mind-set is rooted in the belief that people’s primary identity is their nationality. That’s not true for many athletes, and it is uncomfortable for many who view it as part of a growing spread of authoritarianism.
Figure skater Amber Glenn went on a brief social media hiatus after facing backlash for stating in a pre-Olympics interview that it’s been “a hard time” for the LGBTQ community, with which she identifies, under the Trump administration.
After she won the gold medal, she wrote on Instagram: “When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel.”
Conservatives also criticized curler and Minnesota lawyer Rich Ruohonen after he called the controversial and deadly actions by federal agents in his home state “wrong.”
“I’m proud to … represent TEAM USA,” he said. “But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody.”
“We have a Constitution,” Ruohonen added. “What’s happening in Minnesota is wrong. There’s no shades of gray.”
The president called freestyle skier Hunter Hess a “loser” after the first-time Olympian expressed “mixed emotions” about representing the United States. “It’s a little hard,” Hess 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.”
“Just ’cause I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US,” he added.
Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, told Hess to “shut up and go play in the snow.”
And Representative Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, said that if Hess didn’t “get it,” he should “GO HOME.”
“YOU chose to wear our flag,” he posted on X. “YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the Olympics. If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME.”
But none of these athletes said that competing at the Olympics was “too hard” for them. In fact, a few of them have won medals while juggling school, careers, and other obligations.
It is some conservatives who seem to be struggling with the fact that some of their fellow Americans do not express their patriotism the same way they and Trump do.
Attacking Olympians critical of the White House’s policies displays a limited perspective of what it means to be an American athlete on the global stage. The idea that an athlete representing the United States should never publicly criticize US policies is rooted in the belief that Americans must be loyal to the government above all else. But that worldview fails to grant Americans the freedom to define patriotism on their own terms. And it discourages these individuals from leaning into the identities that are most dear to them.
Yes, these Olympians are Americans. But they are also LGBTQ. And women. And ethnic minorities. And people of religious faith. And neighbors. And advocates. And human. These are things that make America special — the destination of immigrants from around the world, including ancestors of critics. The best way politicians can show support for the country’s Olympians is by endorsing their freedom to criticize their government. These athletes are not enemies of the state. They are the voice for many Americans who do not get the chance to share their political convictions on a global stage.