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LSU Tigers will visit WH after Angel Reese mocked Jill Biden on Twitter, said she’ll ‘go to the Obamas’

April 8, 2023 | | Print Article

Tensions between Angel Reese and first lady Jill Biden appear to have cooled considerably with the women’s college basketball star confirming that she and her Louisiana State University Tigers teammates will accept an invitation to be honored at the White House, a longtime tradition for winners of both collegiate and professional sports championships.

The LSU sophomore took exception over Dr. Jill’s suggestion that both her team which won the NCAA women’s title on Sunday and the losing Iowa Hawkeyes were deserving of invites to the White House, remarks that were widely ridiculed as being the equivalent of a participation trophy and an insult to the winners with Reese mocking the FLOTUS on Twitter and hinting that her team would instead visit with Barack and Michelle Obama.

On Friday, Reese seemingly buried the hatchet during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” where, seemingly speaking on behalf of the university and her teammates, she said that the newly crowned champions would be honored to visit with the Bidens at the White House.

“I think it’ll be a fun experience for my teammates, of course,” she said. “We were really upset and kind of emotionally hurt about it because we worked really hard, and I don’t think out of all of this it’s been highlighted that we actually won a national championship. So we’re gonna go celebrate it. It’s not about Jill or Joe. I think it’s just more about the team.”

“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do,” said Mrs. Biden during a visit to Denver after she attended the big game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, according to ESPN. “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,” leading Reese to openly mock the first lady on Twitter.

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(Image: Screengrab/Twitter)

The reaction to Mrs. Biden’s poorly considered remarks resulted in an apology through her spokesperson Vanessa Valdivia, “Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.”

The extended olive branch was at first swatted away by the Tigers star who brutally rejected it, dragging the Obamas into the spat for good measure.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I don’t accept the apology because of, you said what you said. … I said what I said. And like, you can’t go back on certain things that you say,” Reese said during an appearance on the “Paper Route” podcast. “I mean, you like 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.”

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“I don’t think runner-ups usually go to the White House,” Caitlin Clark, who starred for the Hawkeyes, told ESPN. “I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them. And congratulations, obviously. They deserve to go there. Maybe I could to the White House on different terms though. But I think that’s for LSU. That’s a pretty cool moment, and they should enjoy every single second of being a champion.”

The losing Hawkeyes coach also calmed the waters with her gracious decline of Biden’s offer of a participation trophy. “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. We would welcome the First Lady and President to come to Iowa’s ‘House’ – Carver Hawkeye Arena — any time!” Lisa Bluder tweeted on Tuesday.

Reese’s climb down comes after she spoke with President Joe Biden who offered congratulations to her and the team on Friday, according to a report from CNN.

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Chris Donaldson
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