"Representing the United States—a beacon for freedom and democracy—at the Olympics is an honor. Anyone who feels otherwise should be stripped of their USA Olympic uniform," Scott said.
Several members of Team USA have spoken out against the administration as the country reels from recent violence from ICE agents, including the two public killings of citizens in Minneapolis.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who recently expressed misgivings about ICE killing American citizens, said, "I think, for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. 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."
The statement apparently set off Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform to criticize the athlete.
"U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics," Trump wrote.
"If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it," Trump added. "Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Other athletes have denounced the harsh Trump administration policies as the international audience booed Vice President JD Vance during the opening ceremony for the winter games.
"I feel heartbroken about what's happened in the United States when, you know, I'm pretty sure you're referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that," freestyle skater Chris Lillis told reporters last week. "I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights and making sure that we're treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect."
