American athlete from the Olympic Games, criticized by Donald Trump. The statements that provoked the anger of the American president

President Donald Trump criticized American skier Hunter Hess on Sunday, days after he expressed mixed feelings about whether he will represent the United States at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, according to Reuters.

“If that's the case, he shouldn't have been trying out for the team and it's a shame he's on it,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, his social network. “It's very hard to support someone like that,” the US president added.

The start of the Olympic Games was not bypassed by political tensions. US Vice President JD Vance was booed profusely at the opening ceremony, and before the event there was a protest in Milan over the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel.

The agents who traveled to Italy are part of an investigation division of the institution and were sent specifically to advise local officials on ensuring the security of the pageants, according to The New York Times.

The agency has been targeted by protests in the United States following the cases of two people fatally shot by agents last month.

What Hunter Hess had stated

During a news conference in Milan on Friday, freestyle skier Hunter Hess said it's “a little hard” to represent the US and that he has mixed feelings about it.

“Obviously there's a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren't,” he stated. “Just because I carry the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that happens in the USA,” the athlete added.

His ski teammate Chris Lillis spoke out against ICE in the same press conference.

“I think as a country we need to focus on respecting everyone's rights and making sure we treat our citizens, like everyone else, with love and respect,” Lillis said. “And I hope that when people look at the athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that this is the America that we're trying to represent,” he added.