Not all athletes are excited to accept the White House’s invitation. First, Team USA’s women’s hockey team rejected Trump’s invitation. Now, Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn decided to do the same thing. After taking home a gold medal at the last Olympics, Glenn doesn’t plan on celebrating that achievement at the White House.
The news of Amber Glenn declining the White House invite was shared by US Weekly, which interviewed her at the GLAAD Media Awards. When talking about Olympians who rejected Trump’s invitation, Glenn said, “I’m electing not to either, so I do not blame them whatsoever. It is our right to be able to choose what we do and don’t endorse, and I think it is a decision that each individual has the right to make.”
Glenn’s refusal won’t be shocking to many. The athlete identifies as a pansexual, and the Trump administration hasn’t been a great supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Plus, the joke he made about the women’s hockey team won’t probably encourage a lot of women to accept his invite.
People Reacting to Amber Glenn Declining the White House Invitation
Rather than facing backlash, Amber Glenn received widespread praise after refusing to meet with Trump. “At this point, it is not proven to be safe for a young woman to be in the same room with trump. Good for her,” one person said. Another person wrote, “And he seems to only care when gold medals are won by men. So why go meet a pedophile rapist who also doesn’t view you as worthy or qualified as male counterparts?” Someone else shared the same opinion as they said, “What girl or woman would willingly put themselves in a room with a felon convicted for what he was convicted of? None of us blame you, girl! Stay safe.”
More people showed support for Glenn following her brave choice. “I totally get her, why would she do that to herself, thw guy is crazy,” one person wrote. Another person said, “I respect her decision and that she didn’t bow to any pressure, regardless of the invitation. She sounds like she has boundaries and limits. I’m sure her calendar is full of requests and she gets to choose to attend what suits her.” Someone else mentioned how Lionel Messi just met Trump. “While [expletive] Messi literally met with Donald Trump and clapped when Trump praised US military for bombing Iran.” She is allowed to accept or refuse.
