Washington Examiner senior writer Joe Concha rejected on Monday Olympic skier Hunter Hess’s criticism of the United States.
On Sunday, Hess said his representation of the U.S. in the Olympics “brings up mixed emotions” amid current events. He added that wearing the U.S. flag “doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S,” according to CBS News.
This prompted President Donald Trump to call him “a real loser,” saying Hess said he “doesn’t represent his Country.”
Hess has since issued a statement on Instagram, reiterating that while he loves his country, “there are always things that could be better.” He said the benefit of living in the U.S. is being free “to point that out.”
Conchas said Hess’s initial comments are “a classic example” of there being “a time and place for everything.”
“Hess has the right to speak out, but it is a privilege to be on that Olympic stage, so if he doesn’t appreciate that, maybe hand in your Olympic uniform, go back home to Oregon, in this case, and march with Antifa,” Concha said on Fox Business’s Varney & Co., guest-hosted by Ashley Webster.
Concha then cited statistics that only 40% of Generation Z are proud to be U.S. residents compared to 85% of baby boomers. He said this is a “big, big problem” for young U.S. residents when “they’re the most privileged, entitled generation that we could ever imagine.”
VANCE AND RUBIO GET 2028 PRESIDENTIAL TICKET EXPOSURE IN MILAN FOR OLYMPICS
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) supported Hess after Trump’s statement against him, saying “no one is required to bow down” to the president. He added that Hess is “a proud American.”
Fellow U.S. Olympian Chloe Kim said she was “so happy that so many Olympians are not hesitant to speak out for what they believe in” regarding Hess’s comments. She added, “We need to lead with love and compassion.”