Chris Lillis said he’s “heartbroken” by what’s happening at home, but “would never want to represent” another country

Chris Lillis; Hunter Hess.Credit : Joe Scarnici/Getty; Michael Reaves/Getty

Two Team USA athletes are speaking out about what it means to them to represent their country before the rest of the world amid a season of political turmoil at home.

While several athletes skirted around the question of politics with diplomatic answers about representing personal values at the 2026 Winter Olympics, freestyle skiers Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess acknowledged that wearing red, white and blue at this point in history comes with mixed emotions during a press conference on Friday, Feb. 6.

Lillis, 27, said that he loves the United States and “would never want to represent” any other country at the Games. Still, he acknowledged that he’s “heartbroken” over what’s happening in the U.S. amid President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

“A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you’re referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that. 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.”

ICE agents in Minnesota on Jan. 13, 2026.Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty

He continued, “I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

Hess, meanwhile, said it “brings up mixed emotions” to represent the United States at the 2026 Games.

“It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t,” the skier, 27, said. “I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home… all the things that I believe are good about the United States.”

Hess noted that “just because I wear the flag, it doesn’t mean I represent everything that is going on in the U.S.”

“I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support me getting here,” he said.

The immigration conversation in the U.S. has become heated in recent months, especially after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alexi Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota.

ICE tactics — including the nearly two-week detainment of a 5-year-old boy — have drawn outrage from some, prompting protests nationwide and abroad. Citizens of Milan, the main home of the 2026 Winter Olympics, staged an anti-ICE protest on Friday, Feb. 6, while Vice President JD Vance’s appearance at the opening ceremony later that day prompted boos from the crowd when he was shown on screen at the stadium.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.