Olympic Figure Skater Amber Glenn Steps Away from Social Media After Receiving ‘Threats’ for Speaking Out Against Trump
On a cold January evening in St. Louis, the lights inside the Enterprise Center glittered against the ice as Amber Glenn completed her final run-through. It was the kind of moment Olympic dreams are made of — sharp edges carving the rink, music swelling, judges watching closely. When the scores were posted, Glenn had done it. She was officially heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
But less than a month later, the most intense pressure she faced had nothing to do with triple jumps or landing clean programs.
It came from her phone.
From Olympic Ice to Political Firestorm
At 26 years old, Glenn is no stranger to being watched. As the first openly queer woman to represent the United States in Olympic figure skating, her presence on Team USA already carried symbolic weight. Still, nothing prepared her for the backlash that followed a single question at a February 4 press conference in Milan.
A reporter asked Glenn about Donald Trump, his return to office, and how current political decisions were affecting the LGBTQ community.
Glenn didn’t dodge it.
She didn’t pivot back to skating.
She answered honestly.
“It’s been a hard time,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “But I want to use my platform and my voice to encourage people to stay strong.”
The moment passed quickly in the room. Cameras clicked. Reporters moved on.
Online, it exploded.
“A Scary Amount” of Hate
By February 7, Glenn could no longer ignore what was happening.
Her Instagram inbox had become unrecognizable.
Hate messages flooded in. Some mocked her sexuality. Others told her to “stick to skating.” A darker subset crossed a line entirely — threats, graphic language, and messages that made her fear for her safety.
That night, Glenn posted a message to her Instagram Stories that stunned fans.
“When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America — freedom of speech — to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate and threats for simply using my voice,” she wrote.
She admitted she had expected criticism.
What she didn’t expect was fear.
“I will be limiting my time on social media for my own wellbeing,” she continued, before adding the line that quickly spread across sports media:
“I will never stop using my voice for what I believe in.”
She signed off softly. A white heart. “Xoxo.”
The Cost of Speaking Up
For elite athletes, silence has long been the safest option.
Sponsors prefer it. Governing bodies encourage it. Fans often demand it.
“Stick to sports,” critics like to say — as if sports exist in a vacuum.
Glenn pushed back on that idea during the same press conference that sparked the backlash.
“Politics affects us all,” she told reporters. “It affects our everyday lives. So of course there are things I disagree with, and of course I’m not going to be quiet about something that impacts my community.”
Her words resonated deeply with LGBTQ fans — and infuriated others who saw her comments as an attack on Trump and his administration.
Within hours, hashtags calling for boycotts trended alongside posts defending her courage.
A Pattern Emerging in Team USA
Glenn is not alone.
Just days earlier, freestyle skier Chris Lillis admitted he felt “heartbroken” about the current state of the country when asked about representing the U.S. at the Olympics.
“I love the United States,” Lillis said. “But I’m devastated by what’s happening. We need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights.”
His teammate, Hunter Hess, echoed the sentiment.
“Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything happening in the U.S.,” Hess said. “I represent my friends, my family, and the good I believe this country stands for.”
The comments polarized Olympic fans almost instantly.
Some praised the athletes for honesty.
Others accused them of disrespecting the flag.
Boos, Protests, and a Charged Olympic Atmosphere
The tension reached a visible peak on February 6 during the opening ceremony in Milan.
When JD Vance appeared on the big screen at San Siro Stadium, boos rippled through the crowd.
Outside the stadium, protesters gathered.
The focus of their anger: immigration enforcement.
Recent ICE actions — including the controversial detention of a five-year-old child and the fatal shooting of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota — had reignited global outrage.
In Milan, the Olympic host city, demonstrators marched with signs condemning ICE tactics, reminding the world that politics had followed the Games across the Atlantic.
When Silence Becomes Complicity
For Glenn, the backlash forced a personal reckoning.
She is entering the most demanding stretch of her career — Olympic preparation, media obligations, and the weight of expectation from a nation watching her every move.
Stepping away from social media wasn’t a retreat, she emphasized. It was survival.
Mental health has become a central conversation in elite sports, and Glenn’s decision highlighted the invisible toll athletes pay when public discourse turns hostile.
Friends say she remains focused in training.
“She’s strong,” one teammate said quietly. “But nobody should have to read things like that just for answering a question.”
A New Kind of American Athlete
Amber Glenn represents something different in American sports.
She is openly queer. Unapologetically outspoken. Deeply patriotic — and deeply critical when she believes her country is failing parts of its population.
To her supporters, that combination is precisely what makes her powerful.
To her critics, it’s unacceptable.
But Glenn isn’t backing down.
“I love representing the United States,” she said. “And loving your country doesn’t mean ignoring its problems. It means wanting it to be better.”
The Ice Awaits
Soon, Glenn will step back onto Olympic ice in Milan.
The crowd will roar. The judges will watch. The world will hold its breath as she launches into her program.
What they won’t see are the late-night messages she chose not to read.
The apps she deleted to protect her peace.
The courage it took to speak — and keep speaking — anyway.
In a moment when many athletes choose silence, Amber Glenn chose her voice.
And despite the threats, despite the fear, she made one thing clear:
She’s not done using it.
