Megan Rapinoe, the soccer player on the US Women’s National Team who helped her team lose to Sweden with a penalty kick that sailed far over the goal, is a known leftist. As a result, she’s a frequent punching bag for the right, which despises her leftist politics and anti-American sentiments.
Trump decided to follow that trend of mocking Rapinoe. He did so by throwing a haymaker her way after her missed kick, calling out her leftist attitude and terrible miss in a post on Truth Social that quickly went viral and trended on his social media platform.
“The “shocking and totally unexpected” loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden. Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA,” Trump said.
Rapinoe became particularly notorious when, in 2016, she refused to stand for the National Anthem. Explaining why, she said, “I know that actions must be taken to help bring about real change. Right now, I am reaching out to community leaders, corporate partners and leaders within the Black Lives Matter movement to figure out all the ways I can best support the efforts already in motion.”
That came around the same time Colin Kaepernick also refused to stand for the flag and anthem. He, at the time, said, “This is not something that I am going to run by anybody. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
Rapinoe has also defended biological men competing in women’s sports as transgender athletes, saying, “‘You’re taking a ‘real’ woman’s place,’ that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic. I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument—you’re sort of telling on yourself already—is you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way.”
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