President Biden has shared his thoughts on Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension from the Olympic 100m race, telling reporters: "Rules are rules".
Richardson was officially handed a one-month suspension on Friday, subsequently preventing her from running in the Olympic women's 100m race in Tokyo. "America's Fastest Woman" had received the ban after testing positive for THC - a chemical found in marijuana.
The 21-year-old athlete also had her winning performance at the US Olympic Trials invalidated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
And despite overwhelming support from fans, celebs, and even fellow politicians, President Biden appears to support the suspension.
After being asked for his thoughts on the ban by CBS reporter Bo Erickson on Saturday, the POTUS responded: "The rules are the rules and everybody knows of the rules going in. Whether they should remain the rules is a different issue, but the rules are the rules."
Biden did, however, complement the runner's reaction to the ban, saying: "I was really proud of the way she responded."
Listen to the 21-year-old speak out below:Speaking to the Today show last week, Richardson revealed that she had used marijuana after learning about the death of her biological mother from a reporter.
"I'm blessed to be alive. I'm responsible for my actions. I know what I did, I know what I'm supposed to do, what I'm allowed not to do, and I still made that decision," the sprint star said.
"I'm not making any excuse or looking for any empathy in my case, being in that position of my life, finding out something like that, something that I would say one of the biggest things that have impacted me positively and negatively in my life, dealing with the relationship I had with my mother."
Biden's response also juxtaposes that of other politicians, such as congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who tweeted: "The criminalization and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy.
"The IOC [International Olympic Committee] should reconsider its suspension of Ms Richardson and any athletes penalized for cannabis use."
Additionally, at a press conference last week, Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters: "I would say first that this was an independent decision made by the US Anti-Doping Agency and not a decision made by the US government as is appropriate."
The Press Secretary said the White House was giving the agency "space and room" to carry out its work regarding anti-doping policies.
"I will also note that Sha'Carri Richardson is an inspiring young woman who has gone through a lot personally... and she also happens to be one of the fastest women in the world," she added.
And while Richardson cannot compete in the women's 100m, it is still entirely possible that she could represent the US in the 4x100m relay, at which time her ban will have expired.