Four rule out White House visit
Kenworthy, Wagner, Chen, Rippon say they’d decline invite if on 2018 team
Stephen Curry isn’t the only athlete uninterested in visiting the White House.
Freeskier Gus Kenworthy and figure skaters Ashley Wagner, Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon said they would not travel to the White House with Team USA if they make the team to go to the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Traditionally, the Olympic and Paralympic teams are invited after the Games. But with President Trump’s rhetoric regarding athlete protests and decision to uninvite Curry and the NBA champion Golden State Warriors this weekend, some Olympians at the USOC media summit said Monday that they wouldn’t attend.
“I have no interest in going. That’s a super small form of protest, but I didn’t vote for this administration. I am not standing by any of the policies that they’re enforcing and things that they’re doing,” said Kenworthy, an Olympic silver medalist who publicly came out as gay in 2015.
“I feel lucky that I got to go to the White House when (Barack) Obama was president and meet the Obamas, and it was one of the highlights of my life, actually. … I don’t need to go back and act as if I’m in support of something that I’m not.”
Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, said last week that he would not attend. With the Warriors set to decide as a team if they would go, Trump tweeted Saturday, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”
Trump’s tweet drew swift and widespread response from the sports world, including LeBron James tweeting, “U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
For some athletes at the media summit, the decision would be a difficult one.
Bobsledders Kehri Jones and Aja Evans, along with biathlete Susan Dunklee, said they didn’t know if they would go to the White House.
“It’s not that simple for me,” Evans said. “It’s pros and cons to both, and I don’t agree with everything our president does, so that makes it tough to want to go and be in his presence and experience the White House.
“I’ve been to the White House, and it was an honor for me then. Right now, it could go the other way and provide you with platform to speak on the problems that you’re feeling or injustices or things you want to speak on.”
Added Dunklee, “That is yet to be determined. Probably not, but I don’t know.”
Rippon, the 2016 national champion, also came out publicly in 2015 and said he feels athletes have a responsibility of being role models outside of their respective sports.
“The way that the Trump administration I feel treats most of the citizens that voted in Hillary Clinton’s favor is not a way that anybody should be treated,” Rippon said. “If I were invited to the White House, which I consider a great honor, I would not attend.”