Megan Rapinoe appeared on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” to discuss the U.S. Women’s National Team’s World Cup win and to give her thoughts on Donald Trump’s presidency.
Cooper asks Rapinoe what she would like to tell Trump and she looks directly into the camera while delivering her message.
“Your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me, you’re excluding people of color, you’re excluding Americans that maybe support you,” the USWNT co-captain replies.
Rapinoe, who is currently dating basketball star Sue Bird, also thinks Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan doesn’t reflect the identities and experiences of many Americans.
“I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you’re saying about Make America Great Again. I think that you’re harking back to an era that was not great for everyone,” she added. “It might have been great for a few people and maybe America is great for a few people now, but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world, and I think we have a responsibility, each and every one of us, you have an incredible responsibility as, you know, the chief of this country to take care of every single person, and you need to do better for everyone.”
Rapinoe got Trump’s attention when she stated, “I’m not going to the fu*king White House,” if the USWNT won the World Cup. Her passionate response led Trump to tweet that Rapinoe should “never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag.” He also extended an invitation for the team to visit the White House, win or lose.
Women’s soccer player, @mPinoe, just stated that she is “not going to the F…ing White House if we win.” Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019
….invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019
Rapinoe has stood by her admission telling Cooper, “I would not go and every teammate that I’ve talked to explicitly about it would not go.” She told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that Trump has not yet invited the team to the White House following their World Cup win.
Although the team isn’t planning on going to the White House, Rapinoe says “everyone is interested in going to Washington.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California have extended invites to the team.
“This is such a special moment for us, and to be able to sort of leverage this moment and talk about the things that we want to talk about and to celebrate like this with the leaders of our country is an incredible moment,” Rapinoe says. “So yes to AOC, yes to Nancy Pelosi, yes to the bipartisan Congress, yes to Chuck Schumer—yes to anyone else that wants to invite us and have a real substantive conversation, and that believes in the same things that we believe in.”
