Utah Governor calls for a focus on sports, not politics, at Winter Games

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had plenty to say Tuesday about the state’s plans for the 2034 Winter Games to a roomful of international reporters in Milan.

But the questions they kept asking were about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who said last week he had “mixed emotions” about representing his country in Italy.

The governor, part of a panel of Utah 2034 organizers gathered at the Main Press Center for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, fielded the questions.

“We love our athletes. We’re grateful for our athletes. We recognize there are lots of divisions in our country and in our world today,” Cox said. “I love that we get to live in a country where people get to speak their minds.”

He said “that’s true of athletes. It’s true of governors, it’s true of presidents, it’s true of every individual in our country. And I’m grateful for that. Again, we care about unity. We believe that this is an opportunity to bring people together.”

Cox said that “people are going to speak their minds and I’m grateful for that. I think that makes us better.”

Pressed about whether America is a welcoming place under the administration’s immigration policies, the governor said, “we care deeply about the political situation that’s happening in the United States right now. The entire world watches the United States, maybe differently than other countries, and so everything gets highlighted more outside of the United States.”

Then, he suggested journalists sparked the controversy.

“I know the media loves this stuff. It gets a lot of clicks,” Cox said. “I hate the questions you ask the athletes. These are kids out there competing. I think you should be asking them about their sports and about their competition. Let the politics take care of the politics. That will happen.”

Cox said the United States has laws that need to be enforced.

“I think that’s important. I think that’s true in every country. I certainly had to show my documents when I came here to Italy,” he said.

Urging the several dozen reporters in the room to visit Utah and see for themselves that Utah is “still a very welcoming place,” along with the rest of the U.S., Cox said concerns about immigration enforcement “are political issues that will be worked through. Eight years is a long ways away, for sure.”

Hess, 27, had told reporters at a news conference in Milan last week that “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.,” according to a CNN report.

“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 Bend, Oregon, resident 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 that are good about the U.S.”

Trump posted Sunday that Hess “says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee later responded to threats made against Hess, saying the organization’s “focus is on Hunter’s protection and on ensuring he has the support and resources in place to compete on the world’s largest stage.”

At Tuesday’s news conference, Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the Colorado Springs-based USOPC referred journalists to a recent social media post from Hess that began, “I love my country” to understand the context behind his earlier comments.

“I have all the confidence in the world that every member of Team USA is proud to represent our country and understands the opportunity to have to bring people together,” Hirshland said. “We’re all here for that.”