After taking home a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn will not be celebrating her accomplishment at the White House.
Glenn, 26, spoke exclusively to Us Weekly on the red carpet of the 37th annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday, March 5, where she reacted to Olympians declining invitations to meet with President Donald Trump.
“I’m electing not to either, so I do not blame them whatsoever,” Glenn said. “It is our right to be able to choose what we do and don’t endorse, and I think it is a decision that each individual has the right to make.”
Team USA’s women’s hockey team turned down an invite to meet with Trump, 79, at the White House following their gold medal win at the 2026 Olympics. A statement released by USA Hockey said the team was forced to decline “due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
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Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, has not been afraid to be outspoken throughout her Olympics journey, particularly when it comes to the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In a press conference before competition got underway, Glenn said, “It is something that I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives.”
Glenn told Us that “of course” she received backlash for being vocal, but chose to focus on the positive instead.
“There’s been so much more love, and the amount of support and encouragement that I’ve received outweighs the hate immensely,” she said. “I know how much more important it is to have this visibility to young athletes than it is to these people that are being crabby and are hateful of empathy and kindness. What they have to say doesn’t matter.”
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Glenn won gold in the figure skating team competition at the 2026 Olympics. After a disappointing performance in the women’s short program, she redeemed herself with an excellent routine during the women’s free skate, ultimately finishing in 5th place.
“It was definitely a roller coaster, but overall it was one of the best experiences of my life,” she said.
Glenn — who presented the award for Outstanding New TV Series to Heated Rivalry during the ceremony — preached out GLAAD’s message on the red carpet.
“It is such a great organization, and it’s all about queer visibility in different media, and that’s what I’m all about: having that visibility in sports, especially in figure skating,” she said. “So to have them supporting me and to be able to support them back, is such a great opportunity.”
