US women’s national team captain Megan Rapinoe says she believes ‘not many, if any’ of her teammates would accept President Trump’s offer to visit the White House should they win Sunday’s World Cup final against the Netherlands.
Rapinoe had previously made it clear that she had no intention of visiting ‘the f***ing White House’ during an interview in January. A video of her strong statement resurfaced last month and was not well received by the president.
Trump hit back on Twitter this week, writing: ‘I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!
‘We haven’t yet 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.’
Rapinoe was asked about whether the team were planning to accept the president’s invitation during a pre-match media conference on Saturday.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to everyone about it,’ she said.
‘Not myself, not Ali Krieger and I suspect not many, if any, of the other players, but I haven’t spoken to everyone about it.’
At a pre-match press conference Saturday, US Women’s National Team co-captain Megan Rapinoe said she believes ‘not many, if any’ of her teammates would accept President Trump’s invitation to the White House if they win Sunday’s World Cup final against the Netherlands
On Friday, Trump told reporters he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to watch Sunday’s final but said: ‘I hope they do well. I hope they win’
Rapinoe’s teammate Ali Krieger (left) has said she will not accept Trump’s invitation, while star forward Alex Morgan (right) has said the team will make that decision after the final
Krieger expressed her support for Rapinoe and said she would also decline the invitation because ‘I refuse to respect a man that warrants no respect’.
‘I feel that staying silent at times can side with the oppressor and I didn’t want [Rapinoe] to feel like she was having to process this all alone, because a lot of us do have those similar feelings,’ she told CNN.
Forward Alex Morgan, the team’s leading scorer, has said that any decision about whether to visit the White House would only come after the final, and would likely be a collective team choice.
‘I think we will make that decision after we finish Sunday’s game,’ Morgan told reporters.
‘I think there has been a lot of talk prematurely about the White House and about Trump but first we have to do business and then I think you guys know the answer to the question anyways.’
Asked if she could imagine a situation where some players attended while others stayed away, Morgan said that was unlikely.
‘I can’t say 100 percent but this team is very close and we have always made decisions together so I can’t really see us deciding to part in that way but at the same time if someone feels strongly then who are we to tell them to do or not do something,’ she said.
The defending champions are heavily favored to bring home their fourth World Cup.
On Friday, Trump told reporters he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to watch Sunday’s final but said: ‘I hope they do well. I hope they win.’
On Twitter, Trump slammed Rapinoe for saying she ‘won’t go the f***ing White House’ if the team wins the World Cup. He also complained that Rapinoe wasn’t singing the national anthem
Rapinoe, an openly-gay LGBTQ advocate, has steadfastly refused to sing the national anthem or put her hand over her heart before World Cup games (above last September)
Rapinoe, an openly-gay LGBTQ advocate who has been critical of Trump and his social policies, has steadfastly refused to sing the national anthem or put her hand over her heart before World Cup games.
She previously knelt during the anthem in 2016, becoming one of the first white athletes to do so in solidarity with equal rights advocate and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The US Soccer Federation responded by creating a rule demanding that players stand for the anthem, and Rapinoe has complied.
Rapinoe and her teammates did visit then-President Barack Obama at the White House in 2015 to celebrate America’s third World Cup title.
While she has no desire to meet Trump, Rapinoe has accepted an invitation to meet Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after the New York Democrat reached out to the midfielder on Twitter.
New York Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez invited Rapinoe and the rest of her team to tour the House of Representatives instead of the White House on Twitter
Rapinoe happily accepted Ocasio-Cortez’ offer, tweeting: ‘Consider it done’ with a party emoji