President Joe Biden said Saturday he is “proud” of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson — but doesn’t think she should be reinstated to the US Olympic track team after being bounced for pot use.
“Well, the rules are the rules,” Biden told reporters Saturday as he shopped at a farm stand in Central Lake, Mich. “But I was really proud of the way she responded.”
Richardson, 21, won the 100-meter dash in 10.86 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials on June 19 — but later tested positive for THC, the chemical in marijuana.
The test results meant a 30-day suspension from competition. Weed is considered a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and USA Track and Field.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” Richardson told NBC News Friday. “I’m not looking for an excuse.”
Biden’s reaction to Richardson’s punishment puts him at odds with many of his fellow Democrats — including far left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who blasted the International Olympic Committee’s anti-weed stance as “an instrument of racist and colonial policy” and demanded Richardson’s return to the team.
Biden’s comment came one day after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida attacked the president for his silence on the Richardson matter.
“The press who love to bathe in the intersectionality of race-gender-sports should ask @JoeBiden if he believes Sha’carri Richardson should be barred from representing America for using a drug legal in most states that doesn’t impact performance,” Gaetz tweeted Friday.
“I sure as hell don’t.”