President Donald Trump welcomed dozens of Winter Olympians and Paralympians to the White House on Thursday, where the freestyle skier he once labelled a ‘real loser’ was conspicuously absent.
Nearly half of the Team USA athletes who competed in Italy came to the East Room reception, according to the White House, along with coaches, staff, and other representatives.
Hunter Hess, the 27-year-old who finished 10th in the halfpipe, was not on hand, which wasn’t much of a surprise after he admitted to having ‘mixed feelings’ about representing the United States at the Milano-Cortina Games. Without mentioning Trump by name, the Oregon native objected to some recent political trends, while stressing he wanted to represent the things that ‘are good about the US.’
In response, Trump and his supporters urged Hess to emigrate away from the US. Instead, Hess has embraced the ‘real loser’ identity, which he’s used to launch a clothing brand that funds an organization aimed at providing action sports equipment to young athletes.
Among those attending the White House on Thursday was speedskater Jordan Stolz, whom Trump said was the single most-decorated American Olympian of the 2026 Games while marveling at his ‘very strong legs.’ Stolz, during a rally with the president in Wisconsin earlier this summer, briefly placed a gold medal around Trump’s neck.
‘Today, we’re truly honored to welcome to the White House perhaps the greatest group of Winter Olympians in American history,’ Trump said, as athletes in USA windbreakers filled rows of risers behind him.
Trump welcomed dozens of Winter Olympians and Paralympians to the White House
Olympic gold medal-winning speed skater Jordan Stolz (R) greets U.S. President Donald Trump as he hosts Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the East Room
Abby Winterberger of Team USA and Hunter Hess of Team USA pose for a photo in January. Hess has been branded a ‘real loser’ by Trump after some comments during the Olympics
They gave Trump a Team USA jacket and sneakers, and the president promised to hand out special coins and invited attendees to a post-event tour of the Oval Office.
Three hundred US athletes participated in this year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics, winning 57 medals in total. Thursday’s event was originally scheduled to be held in the stone patio area that Trump had built near the Rose Garden, but was moved indoors as heavy evening rains fell.
‘These men and women sacrificed years of their lives and countless early mornings to be the best in the world,’ Trump said.
Then, apparently recalling himself as a one-time athlete, the president added, ‘That’s right. I guess you get up early in the morning, don’t you? I remember those days. But I didn’t do it as well as you. Not quite.’
Trump also asked who was already training for the next Olympics and most of the athletes raised their hands. He noted that the 2034 Winter Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City and that Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Summer Games.
The Olympic gold medal-winning US men’s hockey team visited Trump at the White House in February and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night. Members of the gold-medal-winning US women’s hockey team declined an invitation to attend the speech, citing previously scheduled academic and personal commitments.
Donald Trump noted that the 2034 Winter Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City
Trump reacts after receiving gifts from Team USA athletes Laurie Stephens on Thursday
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Trump said at the time that the women’s hockey team would be honored at a later date, and two of its members, Abbey Murphy and Joy Dunne, attended Thursday’s celebration and got shout-outs from Trump. He also spoke at length about the men’s team, even though its members didn’t make a return to the White House trip.
In a video posted earlier Thursday on social media, ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik indicated that they did not want to come to the White House.
Trump stayed mostly focused on the Olympics and not politics in his remarks, though he told those assembled, ‘We’ve done a lot to help save women’s sports,’ drawing only a muted reaction from some athletes. At his ‘Make America Great Again’ rallies, Trump often gets cheers for declaring his opposition to transgender rights.
Trump also said Thursday that we’re ‘saving college sports’ and called on Congress to pass legislation overhauling the way such sports are governed, promising to sign it.
‘We’re doing everything we can to protect the cherished sporting traditions that have long been part of our nation from the beginning,’ the president said.
