The 33-year-old American won the Olympic downhill title at Vancouver 2010 but was unable to participate four years later in Sochi because of a knee injury.

She was speaking after US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, claimed that it remains an "open question" if athletes from the country will participate in the South Korean Games for security reasons as hostilities continue to escalate between Trump's administration and nearby North Korea. 

"Well, I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the President," Vonn told CNN.

 "I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the Opening Ceremony.

"I want to represent our country well. 

"I don't think that there are a lot of people currently in our Government that do that."

Vonn also said that she would not accept an invitation to the White House after the Games.

"Absolutely not - no," Vonn said.

"But I have to win to be invited. 

"No, actually I think every US team member is invited...so no, I won't go."

Vonn, who also spent seven months this year out with an arm injury, also praised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to make Russia participate neutrally at Pyeongchang 2018 in response to a "systemic manipulation" of the anti-doping system at events including Sochi 2014.

"Doping and what the Russians did is just not acceptable," Vonn, a 77-time winner on the International Ski Federation World Cup circuit. added to CNN. 

"We have to make that clear and make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Her US team-mate Mikaela Shiffrin, the winner of the slalom event in Sochi, also criticised Russia after 25 of their athletes have - so far - been retrospectively disqualified from the Games for doping.

"I don't question the integrity of the Olympic Games as much as the specific nations that host the Games," she said.

"If you're working with a nation who's willing to go to those ends to have a successful Olympics, that's really sad for me."