Ivanka Trump will lead the U.S. delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies in Pyeongchang, South Korea, later this week, White House officials announced Wednesday.
Trump, who will be joined by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is expected to fly on a commercial plane Thursday morning, the Washington Post reported.
Other members of the delegation will include Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho); Marc Knapper of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul; Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea; and Sgt. Shauna Rohbock, a member of the Army National Guard and former U.S. bobsled olympian.
"I am honored to lead the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremonies of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics," Trump said in a statement. "We look forward to congratulating Team USA and celebrating all that our athletes have achieved. Their talent, drive, grit, and spirit embodies American excellence, and inspire us all."
Trump administration officials said that the purpose of the trip is to celebrate American athletes and to acknowledge the U.S. alliance with South Korea. Trump, a White House adviser and President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, is scheduled to have dinner at the Blue House in Seoul with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday night.
Trump will attend the closing ceremonies and observe the Olympics throughout the weekend, but she is not scheduled to make any addresses or meet with North Korean defectors, according to the White House.
White House officials were asked why Sanders was joining the delegation, prompting an official to say that she is a trusted member of the president's administration and that as a "female" she is looking forward to cheering on the American female athletes competing in the Olympics.
Trump is set to depart from Seoul next Monday.