Gabrielle WareAmbassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley seemed to suggest Thursday that the U.S. might not compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and called the matter an "open question."
Haley's comments came as tensions rise with North Korea. In late November, the country launched a ballistic missile it claims is capable of "striking the whole" U.S. mainland.
North Korea also suggested war was unavoidable. Its state news agency said, "The remaining question now is: when will the war break out?"
But press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted Thursday: "The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority, and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues."
Along that same vein, U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Jones said, "We have not had any discussions, either internally or with our government partners, about the possibility of not taking teams" to the games.
To be fair, Haley also said, "We will make sure that we're taking every precaution possible to make sure that [the athletes] are safe and to know everything that's going on around them."
The 2018 games will be about 50 miles away from the fortified border with North Korea.
Correction: A previous version of this video misstated Nikki Haley's title. She's the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The video has been updated.
