(ATR) United States President Donald Trump honored the PyeongChang 2018 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic delegation, while commending a "certain backing" that led to increased crowd sizes in Korea.
Around 200 Olympians from the 2018 delegation toured the White House today as part of a number of celebrations in Washington, D.C. The White House tour is a traditional post-Olympics event for Team USA, with Trump addressing the Olympians on the North Portico.
"Two months ago America sent each of you to the Winter Olympics to represent the red white and blue and you did an awfully good job," Trump said. "You had very big crowds, and I have to say without certain backing those crowds are not looking very good, but all of a sudden those crowds got very big, very powerful and they became a very, very successful Olympics aside from everything else."
Trump, in the past, has taken credit for spurring talks between North and South Korea and the renewed interest in the PyeongChang 2018 Games. Stories before the Olympics centered on low ticket sales and security risks from North Korea. On Jan. 1 North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un said the country would be willing to send a delegation to the Games.
That declaration kicked off a flurry of diplomatic efforts. North Korea sent 22 athletes to PyeongChang and a delegation of more than 500 others, including government officials, cheerleaders, and taekwondo demonstration teams. Eventually, the diplomatic thaw led to the third ever Inter-Korean summit, which was being broadcast live at the same time as the Team USA awards last night.
"On the occasion of this week’s meetings between President Moon and Kim Jong Un I want to express my hope that all the people in Korea, North and South, can someday live in prosperity and peace and it looks like it could happen," Trump said. "When I began people said it was an impossibility, they said there were two alternatives, let them have what they have or go to war. And now we have a much better alternative than anybody thought even possible."
Later in the day Trump said that the number of sites for his upcoming summit with Kim has been narrowed down to "two or three".
Trump called on a number of Olympians who "achieved many historic milestones," to say a few words throughout his speech. Many were caught off guard, but mentioned how they were honored to be attending the White House.
The delegation then presented Trump with two flags, one with the U.S. Olympic logo and the other with the Paralympic team logo. Each flag was signed by every athlete on the respective teams.
The Olympians' visit to the White House comes at a time when many athletes are choosing to skip the traditional meet and greet with the President. A number of professional athletes from the U.S. big four professional sports leagues chose to stay away in 2017.
While teams from other leagues still sent representatives, the National Basketball Association champion Golden State Warriors decided as a team to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture instead of the White House.
A number of high profile Olympians were not at the White House including Lindsey Vonn, Gus Kenworthy, Adam Rippon, Chloe Kim, and Shaun White. Kim and White were winners at the Team USA awards, but declined the visit due to prior commitments.
Rippon had prior commitments as well, but before and after the Olympics was vocal in his opposition with the current administration. Kenworthy and Vonn both said previously that they would not visit the White House.
Due to the high profile nature of some of the absentees, the athletes present could not escape questions about the intersection of sports and politics. Athletes at the Team USA awards said that they were "honored" to attend the White House visit and felt it was their duty as Americans to go.
Following Trump’s speech, U.S. Paralympic flag bearer Mike Schultz declined to reveal what he spoke with Trump about behind closed doors. Men’s curling skip John Schuster said that he and Ivanka Trump reminisced about their experiences at the gold medal curling game. She was seen holding Schuster’s young child during the match.
Elana Meyers Taylor, the silver medal-winning bobsledder, said that the group had a "wonderful time" touring the White House. She said that in an era described as having hyper-partisanship, it was even more important for athletes to represent their country as best as possible.
"We’re charged with the job of putting on our uniforms and representing team USA and when things are crazy politically we want to be that inspiration, that hope, for the entire country," Taylor said. "In those times it is even more important to be the best representation of ourself and win as many medals as possible."
Written by Aaron Bauer at the White House
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