Elana Meyers Taylor of Douglasville, Georgia, joined the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams at the White House today even as many of her teammates stayed away.
Meyers Taylor, who won a silver medal in women's bobsledding in this year's PyeongChang games, said it was important to separate politics and athletics.
“As an athlete I think it's even more important to represent the best we can” during times when the country is ideologically divided, she said.
Reports said about a third of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians invited would not be attending for various reasons.
Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, figure skaters Adam Rippon and alpine skier Lindsey Vonn were among the no-shows.
"I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president," Vonn said, "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."
The president spoke for about 15 minutes, congratulating Team USA for its performance at this year’s PyeongChang Winter Games. He invited several athletes to shuffle through the crowd assembled on the White House front steps to shake hands at the podium.
“This is a very proud day and I’m thrilled to stand here and welcome Team USA to the White House. Great job.” Trump said.
Pointing to Meyers Taylor, who stood beside the president during his remarks, Trump said, “I think she’s more famous than I am.”
When talking about the PyeongChang games, the president touted the progress he said his administration has made in easing tensions with North Korea.
“Hopefully, the day will come when Olympic athletes can compete on a Korean peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons,” he said.
Towards the end of the event, Meyers Taylor helped present Trump with two flags signed by members of the Olympic and Paralympic teams.
“You come back here any time you want, we love you at the White House,” Trump said.
Tom Hart: thart@mcclatchydc.com