A rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump asked when he could kill members of the U.S. Olympic team who did not win circulated online during the Winter Olympics in February 2026.
Snopes readers wrote in asking us to fact-check the claim. There was no evidence that Trump said such a thing.
The rumor originated from The Onion — the well-known satirical newspaper and website. On its About Us page, the Onion's website notes that "the First Amendment protects satire as a form of free speech and expression."
The fictional story played off a social media post from Trump in which he called U.S. freestyle skier Hunter Hess "a real loser" for speaking about the current political state of the country during a news conference at the Winter Games. Other U.S. Olympians, including one of Hess' fellow freestyle skiers, figure skater Amber Glenn, snowboarder Chloe Kim and curler Rich Ruohonen also spoke out against Trump or his policies.
Snopes has addressed other rumors about the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, including the assertion that Vice President JD Vance forgot one of his children while flying back from Milan. We've also checked satirical claims from The Onion, such as a rumor that Trump attempted to flush a 14-year-old down a toilet.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.