The United States of America may not be on board with the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. During a recent media session in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden indicated that he is “considering” a diplomatic boycott of the the upcoming Olympic Games.
He is not the only high-ranking official to express this sentiment. Recently, Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas openly called for the Biden administration to boycott the upcoming Olympic Games.
“I’m here today to call on the Biden administration to mount a complete and total boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. No athletes, no administration officials, no corporate sponsors,” Cotton said.
With that said, Biden isn’t advocating for a “total” boycott of the Winter Olympic Games. Instead, a “diplomatic” boycott would involve public officials abstaining from attending the event.
Typically, countries sent a number of high-ranking diplomats to the games for the opening ceremonies. For example, Dr. Jill Biden traveled to Tokyo, Japan for the Summer Olympic Games.
Chinese officials have not replied to Biden’s most recent comments, but White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said that a potential boycott doesn’t reflect the President’s relationship with Xi Jinping.
“They didn’t talk about the Olympics during the meeting…I would note that we’ve said from the beginning, the beginning of this administration, as it relates to how we engage with China, that we see it through the prism of competition, not conflict,” Psaki said, according to White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are set to begin February 4 through February 20.
JUST NOW: I asked Biden whether he supports a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
He replied: “Something we’re considering.” pic.twitter.com/y9jZR9WZYC— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) November 18, 2021
