Winter Olympics
Gay US Olympian Declines to Meet with Pence During Winter Olympics
Adam Rippon refuses to meet with VP Mike Pence, and Pence shoots back with, “#FAKENEWS.”
U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon is unhappy with the White House’s decision to have Vice President Mike Pence to lead the U.S. delegation at the Winter Olympics.
“You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?” Rippon said in a report by USA Today last month. “I’m not buying it.”
Rippon, who is the first openly gay athlete to win a spot on the U.S. Winter Olympics team, reportedly declined an invitation to meet with Pence leading up to this month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.
“If it were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a friend of a gay person but that they think that they’re sick,” Rippon said to USA Today. “I wouldn’t go out of my way to meet somebody like that.
Pence has taken to Twitter about this situation, calling the reports, “Fake news.”
Headed to the Olympics to cheer on #TeamUSA. One reporter trying to distort 18 yr old nonstory to sow seeds of division. We won’t let that happen! #FAKENEWS. Our athletes are the best in the world and we are for ALL of them! #TEAMUSA
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018
Pence has also sent a personal tweet directly to Rippon, encouraging Rippon not to get distracted by fake news and assuring Rippon that, “We are for you.”
.@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018
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