President Trump’s aggressive moves in the foreign policy arena are hanging over Team USA’s trip to Europe for next month’s Winter Olympics, raising questions about how American athletes will be received in Milano Cortina while representing their country on the world’s stage.
Trump roiled European leaders with a push to acquire Greenland, sparred over trade with Canada and ordered the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, sparking fears of instability in South America.
The president and his allies have argued these moves are necessary to maintain world peace and protect American financial and security interests.
But in Europe and Canada in particular, they have raised complaints that Trump is damaging the post-World War II order that led to NATO and stability throughout much of the West. Those complaints have been joined by a fair number of lawmakers in Congress, including some Republicans.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned in a speech on the Senate floor on Jan. 14 that seizing Greenland could “incinerate” the nation’s long-standing ties with NATO allies.
That’s led to suggestions U.S. athletes might get a less than warm welcome in Milan.
“It’s going to be really tough for the athletes because unfortunately what the president has done has created so many divisions with long term allies of ours. He’s talking about taking over other countries and the people of those countries are legitimately upset,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told The Hill.
“I’m on the border of the U.S. and Canada, and we have really seen our tourism suffer tremendously … and I don’t blame them,” Jayapal added. “Why would you come when the U.S. has essentially said we don’t want to have a long-term respectful relationship?”
To be certain, most U.S. athletes will be laser-focused on competing at a high level and hoping to avoid any distraction, including the political dynamics between countries facing off in Italy.
But geopolitics have loomed large over the Olympic Games since their inception, and several historians and foreign policy experts noted that this year’s Games will come against another tense international backdrop.
“Especially with this year’s games being in Europe, there is a strong possibility U.S. athletes will face booing at the very least,” said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy. “Anyone who says sports and politics don’t mix, that’s never been true. And we’ve always seen the Olympics be a proxy for wider issues.”
Ulrichsen attended the 2004 Games in Athens, which came just months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
He recalled American athletes were hit with relentless jeers during competition that year as nations of the world questioned the U.S. government’s motivations in the Middle East.
China most recently faced international scorn for its alleged human rights abuses when it hosted the Winter Games in 2022.
And Russia remains banned from the Games thanks to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine the same year.
The International Olympic Committee has not raised any issue with United States military or diplomatic moves since Trump’s second term began, but critics of the president, like Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), say a negative reception for American athletes in Milan would not be surprising.
“He is essentially treating our foreign and economic policies as an organized crime boss and is rapidly destroying our reputation around the world,” Crow told The Hill.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said he is hopeful cool heads will prevail among spectators and competitors.
“I hope other countries realize what Donald Trump [does] should not be blamed on American citizens and athletes, most of whom are very apolitical,” Goldman said. “Nobody asks an American gold medal winner what party you are from, and hopefully that spirit can carry through.”
The White House, in a statement to The Hill, said “there is nothing political or controversial about American athletes competing on the world stage on behalf of the strongest and greatest nation on earth.”
“President Trump stands fully behind these patriotic athletes who represent some of the best talent in our country,” a spokesperson for the president said.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee did not respond to a request seeking comment on how Trump’s foreign policy might affect the environment American athletes face in Italy during competition.
Some lawmakers, including Democrats critical of Trump, say they are not worried about American foreign policy hanging over Team USA.
“That’s what’s always been great about the Olympics, is it transcends politics, and we should keep it that way,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told The Hill. “What people expect around the world is we put the athletics first, put the politics aside and we’re just going to win.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called anyone who blames U.S. athletes for the policies of U.S. leaders “gutless.”
“They want to play those games let ‘em,” Burchett said. “Whenever they get in trouble who are they going to call … the United States of America.”
Next month’s Games are just the beginning of what will be a big year for American sports in international competition, with the U.S. set to host several top World Cup matches in cities across the country.
Taken together, observers say, these high-profile sporting events will be key moments in Trump’s quest to project strength and American exceptionalism around the world.
“The reality is Donald Trump has a complicated reputation globally and loves a big stage,” said Stephen Brauer, a professor of American Studies at the University of Richmond. “I’m sure he sees the Olympics or World Cup, like or any other leader, as a great stage to promote who you are and what you’re all about.”
