Donald Trump Jr. showed support for Vice President Mike Pence after gay Olympic skating sensation Adam Rippon expressed his displeasure over the politician paying a visit to Pyeongchang.
On Monday, the figure skater put himself on a collision course with the White House after he confirmed his plans to snub President Trump’s White House party for Team USA.
The 28-year-old, who won a team bronze medal at his first Olympics on Sunday night, told Daily Mail.com he would give the traditional gathering a miss in protest against what he sees as homophobia among the country’s leadership.
Rippon refused to meet Pence during his visit to the Olympics, claiming his support of ‘homosexual conversion therapy,’ he said, while citing a 2000 message on Pence’s congressional campaign website.
Rippon also added in a statement he ‘doesn’t want his Olympic experience to be about Mike Pence.’
President Trump’s eldest child took to Twitter Tuesday night to slam the wildly popular pro-athlete, who he says has been gabbing about Pence for weeks without purpose.
‘Really? Then Perhaps you shouldn’t have spent the past few weeks talking about him. I haven’t heard him mention you once???,’ Trump Jr. penned in the post.
Adam Rippon reacts after completing his routine in the figure skating team event men’s single skating free skating during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Rippon’s performance an outstanding Olympic debut, full of poise and panache
Rippon has become an important advocate for LGBTQ rights, first revealing his displeasure that Vice President Pence would be coming to Pyeongchang then rebuffing an offer from him
Rippon has endeared himself to fans for his sense of humor and voice for LGBTQ rights. He’s clashed with Pence on several occasions
‘I haven’t heard him mention you once?’: Donald Trump Jr blasts gay skating sensation Adam Rippon on Twitter for Pence remarks
President Trump’s eldest child took to Twitter Tuesday night to support Pence after the Olympian refused to meet him
While speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, the gay athlete, who was trending worldwide as number one on Twitter after his routine, revealed his decision not to attend the White House party was ‘to support my community.’
He added: ‘I have no desire to go to the White House. But, I would like to do something to help my community.
‘I have kind of spoken out a lot and I’d I like to do something positive and not just stay at home.’
He said this would probably mean staging an event of his own to highlight his campaign against homophobia and for gay rights.
The controversy is not likely to go away and is certain to embroil President Trump when he throws his traditional bash for US Olympians.
Traditionally the President invites Olympians to a reception in Washington with former President Obama twice inviting both summer and winter athletes.
Rippon became the first openly gay athlete to take part in the Winter Olympics for Team USA
Rippon was the men’s free skate representative in Sunday’s team competition
The American team currently stands in third place in the team competition, behind Canada and the Olympic Athletes from Russia
Since coming out with his sexuality in 2015 Rippon has become a LGBTQ campaigner
Rippon’s performance saw him trending on Twitter with fans gushing over his performance
Rippon’s status as a gay icon that has earned him some of his most devoted followers
Rippon became the first openly gay American to qualify for the Winter Olympics
Not everyone online was happy about Rippon using his performance to attack the White House
Rippon was competing in the Men Single Free Skating of the Figure Skating Team Event
Skating sensation Adam Rippon became the worldwide number one trend on Twitter after making his Olympic debut and helping Team USA to a bronze medal
The campaigner for gay rights snubbed US Vice President Mike Pence here in anger at his reported stance on homosexual conversion therapy, put himself on collision course
Rippon was dazzling and the pride of the party in Pyeongchang after he danced and skated through his routine as part of the Team Event to ‘Arrival of the Birds/Exodus’ by The Cinematic Orchestra and ‘O’ by Coldplay.
The other US members were Mirai Nagasu and brother and sister couple Alex and Maia Shibitani.
When told he had trended as number one on Twitter, he said: ‘I have always spoken my mind but at same I have always spoken from the heart.
‘I have a great story. I want people to get to know me, but today it is about this awesome group of people (his US team mates).’
Traditionally the President invites Olympians to a reception in Washington with former President Obama twice inviting both summer and winter athletes
Rippon reacts after completing his routine in the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Adam Rippon reacts with teammates as he receives his score following his performance
On Sunday Rippon was dazzling and the pride of the party in Pyeonchang after he danced and skated through his routine as part of the Team Event
Rippon marveled the crowd on the ice, earning a 172.98, and he finished third in his category.
He proved he had come a long way since he started skating in 1999 after seeing a local competition.
His mother took him along to a rink and he declared: ‘He didn’t really like it at first, but grew to love it.’
His ambition was to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang and trained for 29 hours a week in Lakewood, California.
In preparation for South Korea he revealed: ‘I packed every healing crystal I could.’
He revealed his philosophy in life to be this: ‘I take whatever situation I’m in, and I spin it like it’s the most positive thing that’s ever happened to me.’
Rippon performed his routine to to ‘Arrival of the Birds/Exodus’ by The Cinematic Orchestra and ‘O’ by Coldplay
Rippon marvelled the crowd on the ice, earning a 172.98, and he finished third in his category
His performance helped Team USA win the bronze medal. Canada won gold, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia won silver
At 28 years old, Rippon is the oldest rookie on the U.S. men’s figure skating team
Rippon exudes confidence and he backed it up on the world stage on Sunday night
Rippon will return on Friday and Saturday, already a bronze medalist to compete in the Men’s Single Skating event
Rippon blasted the choice of Vice President Mike Pence to lead the U.S. delegation at the Olympics in a recent interview and he has now said he will not meet with Trump
His performance was as clean as the shimmering Korean ice, his smile beaming with satisfaction and a tiny tear of emotion at the end of a job beautifully done
Rippon came out as gay in October 2015. ‘Being gay isn’t what defines me, but it’s a big part of who I am and I like to talk about my coming out because that’s when I started to own who I was as a person.’