Speaker: Olympians Should Unite Nation, Not Play Politics (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Well, look, I had a great time at the Olympics, and I think the media made much ado about nothing with the fact that, yes, in a crowd of 30,000 people, there were certainly some people who disagreed with my policies or the policies of the administration, but I felt like the people of Milan were great. Certainly Prime Minister Maloney and I had a great meeting, but the Olympic athletes were unbelievable, and I know the entire country is rooting for them. Yes, you're going to have some Olympic athletes who pop off about politics. I feel like that happens every Olympics. My advice to them would be to try to bring the country together, and when you're representing the country, you're representing Democrats and Republicans, you're there to play a sport, and you're there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You're not there to pop off about politics, so when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback, but most Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job, certainly enjoy the support of the entire country, and I think recognize that the way to bring the country together is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the President of the United States, but it's to play your sport and represent the country well.
- The speaker views reports of negative crowd reaction as exaggerated given the size of the audience.
- They praise the host city and a diplomatic meeting with Italy’s prime minister.
- Athletes are encouraged to prioritize competition and representing all Americans over political commentary.
- Political statements by athletes are framed as common but likely to draw criticism.
- National unity is emphasized, particularly avoiding public attacks on the U.S. president while abroad.