LSU’s Angel Reese on White House flap: ‘We’ll go to the Obamas’

First lady Jill Biden’s walk-back of her suggestion thatrunner-up Iowa should join NCAA women’s basketball champion LSU fora visit to the White House didn’t sit well with Tigers star AngelReese.

Prompted by a discussion of Biden’s comments during herWednesday appearance on “The Paper Route Podcast,” Reese said theTigers should celebrate their title with former President BarackObama and former first lady Michelle Obama rather than PresidentJoe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Jill Biden, at an appearance in Denver on Monday, had praisedIowa’s sportsmanship and congratulated both teams. She also saidthat as part of the longstanding tradition of having championsvisit the White House, Iowa should come as well “because theyplayed such a good game.”

The Tigers defeated Iowa 102-85 for the title in Dallas onSunday.

Reese on Monday called Jill Biden’s suggestion “a joke.”

Joe Biden invited LSU and men’s champion Connecticut to theWhite House on Tuesday with no mention of Iowa. Vanessa Valdivia, aspokesperson for Jill Biden, said the first lady had meant nodisrespect to LSU and that her comments were intended to applaudthe historic game and all women athletes.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I don’t accept the apology becauseof, you said what you said. I said what I said. And like, you can’tgo back on certain things that you say,” Reese told podcast hostsBrandon Marshall and Ashley Nicole Moss.

“I mean, you felt like they should’ve came because ofsportsmanship, right?” Reese added. “They can have that spotlight.We’ll go to the Obamas. We’ll see Michelle. We’ll see Barack.”

Some social media commenters noted the racial dynamics involved,saying that only winners should be rewarded with a White Housevisit and that hosting both teams would detract from theachievement by LSU’s team, which is predominantly Black. The Iowateam is largely white. Others noted the important role of Blackwomen in Democratic Party politics.

Following LSU’s victory, coach Kim Mulkey said she would go tothe White House if invited. Reese said Wednesday she was uncertainif she would go.

Reese faced criticism on social media for waving her hand infront of Iowa star Caitlin Clark’s face while staring down Clarkduring the game. Clark, The Associated Press Player of the Year,made a similar gesture to no one in particular during Iowa’svictory over Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Reese said she didn’t think LSU, had it lost to Iowa, would havegotten the same praise from Jill Biden as the Hawkeyes did.

“If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to theWhite House,” she added. “I remember she made a comment about bothteams should be invited because of sportsmanship. And I’m like,‘Are you saying that because of what I did?’ Stuff like that, itbothers me because you are a woman at the end of the day. White,Black, it doesn’t matter, you’re a woman, you’re supposed to bestanding behind us before anything.”