During an interview that aired on CNN last week, Lindsey Vonn let it be known that, while she’s proud to represent the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, she’s not going to be representing Donald Trump when she hits the slopes.
"I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the President," Vonn said. "I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the opening ceremony. I want to represent our country well. I don’t think that there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that."
Not surprisingly, many Trump supporters have fired back at Vonn in the aftermath of her comments, and on Tuesday she took to Instagram to describe some of the "hurtful" messages. Vonn said some have sent messages about how they are "hoping I break my neck." Others have told her the recent back injury she sustained while preparing for the Olympics in Switzerland is a direct result of her anti-Trump sentiments. "God is punishing me for being 'anti-Trump,'" is one message Vonn said she has received over and over again.
But despite the backlash, Vonn seems to be sticking by her original comments. She even attempted to clarify them further in her IG post.
"The point that I was trying to articulate is that all Olympic athletes represent their nation as a whole and are not representatives of their government or any specific political figure or party," she wrote. "I am proud to be an American, and I want our country to be a symbol of hope, compassion, inclusion, and world unity. My travels around the world have recently made clear that this is no longer how people view the United States…It seems to me that we must lead with understanding and strive for unity in our relationships throughout the world."
Vonn has already said she will not visit the White House if she wins a gold medal during the Olympics in February.
