Explaining the Right is a weekly series that looks at what the right wing is currently obsessing over, how it influences politics—and why you need to know.
President Donald Trump dragged the Olympics into his gutter this past week by attacking Team USA skier Hunter Hess as a “loser” for speaking out about the toxicity of Trump’s presidency.
“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 U.S,” Hess said in a statement reflecting the views of millions of Americans.
Snowboarder Chloe Kim later backed up Hess and told reporters, “Obviously, my parents being immigrants, this one definitely hits pretty close to home. I think in moments like these it is important for us to unite and stand up for one another.” Kim called on athletes to “lead with love and compassion” as their home country is roiled by violent and lawless mass deportation efforts.
Trump and other Republicans’ objections to athletes voicing their beliefs rather than lining up behind the president like Fox News talking heads highlight conservatives’ lack of understanding about the Olympics.
The games are about respectful athletic competition, global unity, and mutual respect. In contrast, the right’s world view—especially under Trump—is of an archaic past where domination, not cooperation, is the default.
Related | US Olympians rip Trump's atrocities, infuriating GOP
Conservatives believe Team USA athletes are supposed to shut up and do sports, not operate as fully formed human beings—especially if they hold progressive values.
That’s why they lash out at figure skaters Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu, members of the LGBTQ+ community who have used their platforms as competitors to advocate for acceptance.
As Glenn wrote after she and Liu helped the U.S. win the team gold medal, “They hate to see two woke bitches winning.”
Conservatives are also out of their historical depth when they complain about politics and social justice being intertwined with Olympic sports. The games have always included some element of politics.
U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos raise their gloved fists in protest during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze medal in the 200-meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City on Oct. 16, 1968.
Black American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a Black power salute at the 1968 Mexico City games in protest of American racism. Ethiopian runner Feyisa Lilesa protested crackdowns against demonstrators in his home country in the 2016 games. The United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics in protest of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the Russians boycotted the U.S.-based 1984 games in retaliation.
Most tragically, nine Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 games in Munich, Germany. As recently as the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, players in the women’s soccer events took a knee as a sign of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Conservative anger at athletes speaking out about their views is also rooted in envy. The right understands that most of the people in the world of entertainment and sports who express their views lean center-left to left, and that vocal conservatives are in the minority and of minimal fame.
There aren’t going to be many Olympic ice skaters who are against LGBTQ+ equality, for instance.
These Olympics in particular are a reminder to the right that Trump and his party are not only disliked within America, but hated across the world. Vice President JD Vance was booed when he appeared at the games, no matter how much American broadcasts tried to downplay the jeers.
The games expose the limited scope of conservatism. The right only understands partisan politics and sees the Games through that lens (they cheered when the U.S. lost an Olympic opportunity under former President Barack Obama, for instance).
The Olympics are about more than sports, partisan cheerleading, and so-called patriotism. But the right simply cannot understand this.
Related | Vance plays tourist while US gets cold shoulder at Winter Olympics
