Gov. Spencer Cox blamed journalists Tuesday when asked about President Donald Trump calling a Team USA athlete a “loser” for their criticism of the United States government during the 2026 Olympic Games.
“I hate the questions you ask the athletes,” Cox, a Republican, said during a Utah 2034 press conference in Milan, Italy, “These are kids out there competing. I think you should be asking them about their sports and about their competition and let the politics take care of the politics and that will happen.”
He added that he’s grateful for and proud of all the Olympic athletes.
Several American athletes, including 26-year-old figure skater Amber Glenn and 27-year-old Utah aerials skier Chris Lillis — who are both old enough to run for Congress — have openly criticized the U.S. government in interviews with the press.
“I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics, but politics affect us all,” Glenn said in the pre-event press conference for the Team USA figure skating team. “It is something that I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives. So, of course, there are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us.”
Glenn’s comments revolved around the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community under the Trump administration. Since making them, she said in an Instagram post that she has received “a scary amount of hate” for her comments.
“But,” she added in the post, “I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
Halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, 27, said in a press conference that he was proud to represent his friends and family and “all the things I believe are good about the United States.”
However, he added, “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean that I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
That comment prompted Trump to call Hess “a real loser” in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that “it’s too bad” Hess is on the team.
Lillis, at a new conference in Italy, said, “As athletes, we’re proud to represent our country. I love the USA and I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics. A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things.”
He added, referring to immigration enforcement and protests back home, “I feel heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States.”
“I think as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure we’re treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics that they realize that’s the America we’re trying to represent.”
(Photo courtesy of Steven Earl/U.S. Ski Team) Chris Lillis competes for Team USA in the men's aerials competition at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International FIS Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort on Feb. 6, 2021.
Utah’s U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, posting on his @BasedMikeLee account on X, chastised Lillis for his comments.
“If you can’t stand up for your country while abroad — at the Olympics or otherwise," he wrote Saturday above a photo of Lillis, “Stay home.”
Cox, when asked about Trump’s post, said he’s grateful he lives in a country that protects freedom of speech.
“There are lots of divisions in our country and in our world today,” he said. “I love that we get to live in a country where people get to speak their minds. That’s true of athletes. It’s true of governors. It’s true of presidents. It’s true of every individual in our country, and I’m grateful for that. … I think it makes us better.”
Sarah Hirschland, the CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, emphasized the need to take athletes’ comments in context.
“I have all the confidence in the world that every member of Team USA is proud to represent our country and understands the opportunity they have to bring people together,” she said, “and we’re all here for that.”
Protests have also broken out in Italy over the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the ground to protect Vice President JD Vance, who represented the U.S. at Friday’s Opening Ceremony.
On at least one occasion, the protestors — who were also rallying against the Olympics’ environmental impact and cost and who numbered in the thousands, according to multiple news reports — clashed with police.
The ICE agents are different from those who have been under scrutiny since Department of Homeland Security officers killed two people in Minnesota. This division in Italy routinely assists with security at international events like the Olympics.
“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said in a statement to NPR. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
Cox — who has long pushed a “Disagree better” initiative while reversing his support for LGBTQ+ Utahns and endorsing Trump in 2024 after years of refusing to do so — said he did not expect the current climate of U.S. politics to affect the Utah 2034 Winter Games.
“Those are political issues that will be worked through,” he said. “Eight years is a long ways away.”
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