Lindsey Vonn: "I Hope To Represent The People Of The United States, Not The President"

American skier Lindsey Vonn, who’s returning to the Olympics next year for the first time since 2010, says that she wouldn’t accept an invitation to the White House after the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang if she were invited. In an interview with CNN, Vonn said that she wants to “represent the people of the United States, not the President.”

Here’s a transcript:

VONN: Well, I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the President. I take the Olympics very seriously, and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the opening ceremonies. And, you know, I want to represent our country well, and I don’t think there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that.

INTERVIEWER: Would you accept an invitation to the White House if you were to win an Olympic gold in Pyeongchang?

VONN: Absolutely not. No. But I have to win to be invited so—no actually I think every U.S. team member is invited, so no I won’t go.

Typically, the entire U.S. Olympic squad gets an invite to the White House after the games. However, under the Trump administration, the tradition of top athletes getting a visit with the President has become less consistent, with Steph Curry’s refusal of his invitation leading to the Warriors planning a Trump-free visit to D.C. instead.