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After Angel Reese led the LSU Tigers to an NCAA championship victory on April 2, first lady Jill Biden suggested that the winning team pay a visit to the White House with their opposition, the Iowa State Hawkeyes. On Twitter, Reese, 20, didn’t hold back her feelings about the Democrat’s proposition.
“A JOKE,” the Maryland native tweeted.
Fans and a slew of notable supporters rallied with Reese calling for Mrs. Biden to let the ladies of LSU celebrate their big moment alone.
“Runner ups don’t get invited to the White House,” sportscaster Stephen A. Smith tweeted. “Why are we trying to change it now?”
St. Louis rep. Cori Bush urged for the politician to let “Black women lead.”
“Folks start moving the goalpost & changing the rules. No. Iowa played a good game, but let the LSU players be celebrated as highly as other winning championship teams. We understand being courteous, but don’t do this,” she added.
Angel Reese shares more about her frustration with Jill Biden on the Paper Route podcast
After backlash took the internet by storm, Reese offered more insight about her frustrations with Jill Biden on the Paper Route podcast.
The 6-foot-3 athlete revealed that the first lady quickly apologized to her and the team after she made the statement. But Reese said she wasn’t willing to accept the politician’s remorse.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, I don’t accept the apology–you said what you said. I said what I said. And like, you can’t go back on certain things you say,” the basketball champ explained.
“I mean, you felt like they should’ve came because of sportsmanship, right? They can have that spotlight. We’ll go to the Obamas, we’ll see Michelle, we’ll see Barack.”
When asked whether the Tigers would visit the White House, Reese said, “We’re gonna see. I don’t know.”
On Sunday, Biden attended the fiery game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Reese and her teammates defeated Iowa State, 102- 85.
During a press conference with Colorado lawmakers in Denver, she congratulated both teams on their stellar performance and extended a White House invite to the runner up and winning team.
“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So, we hope LSU will come — but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game,” she said, according to NBC News.
On Twitter, Vanessa Valdivia, Biden’s press secretary, clarified that the Democrat “loved watching” the NCAA match from the stands and that she looked forward to celebrating LSU’s “championship win at the White House.”
It’s unclear whether both teams will be heading to Washington D.C. But it doesn’t look like Iowa State has any interest, according to head coach Lisa Bluder’s tweet.
On April 4, the 61-year-old coach took to Twitter, respectfully declining Biden’s invite.
“I gratefully acknowledge the First Lady’s sentiments, but a day at the White House should belong solely to the champion, LSU and Coach Mulkey,” she wrote. “We would welcome the First Lady and President to come to Iowa’s ‘House’ – Carver Hawkeye Arena– any time!”
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