Imagine becoming one of the most celebrated athletes in the world. Now imagine that the reward for your hard work is being asked to sit down with a man who mostly seems to want to scream conspiracy theories at the television and talk about how hot his daughter is. 。
It's only logical that Adam Rippon and many other members of Team USA decided not to attend their scheduled White House meeting with the president today and to instead do, uh, anything else. 。
SEE ALSO:Why does Michael Phelps brush his teeth in the shower?American ski racer Lindsey Vonn, as well as Gus Kenworthy, Chloe Kim, Jessie Diggins, David Wise, Erin Hamlin, and other members of the Team USA figure skating team have also declined to attend.。
Their reasons for being absent were various, though some athletes, like Kenworthy, have been openly critical about the Trump administration, particularly when it comes to the Vice President's attitude toward the LGBTQ community. 。
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"Olympians from the 2018 Games have been invited to go to the White House today," Rippon wrote on Twitter. "I will not be going. I will not stand with people who discriminate against those that they perceive as different."。
Instead, Rippon has chosen to use his time to donate to various causes he supports, including GLAAD, Planned Parenthood, and the American Red Cross. 。
Olympians from the 2018 Games have been invited to go to the White House today. I will not be going. I will not stand with people who discriminate against those that they perceive as different. In lieu of going to DC, I have donated to a few of my favorite causes 🙆🏼♂️❤️ https://t.co/qDXqswTHdF。
— Adam Rippon (Adaripp) April 27, 2018 。
— Adam Rippon (Adaripp) April 27, 2018。
Gus Kenworthy echoed Rippon's sentiment:。
All US Olympians and Paralympians are invited to visit the White House and meet the President after the Games. Today is this year's visit and USOC spokesperson says he's never seen so many athletes turn down their invites. The resistance is real. https://t.co/6mKJGicWDS。
We assume President Trump will respond by issuing his typical presidential tweetstorm or barking at one of his lawyers on the phone. 。