Trump calls out Rapinoe

WASHINGTON (AP):

President Donald Trump called out US women’s national team co-captain Megan Rapinoe after a months-old video was posted on social media in which she used profanity when she said she wasn’t going to the White House if the team wins the Women’s World Cup.

“Megan should never disrespect our country, the White House, or our flag, especially since so much has been done for her and the team,” Trump tweeted yesterday.

The president also tweeted that he would invite the US team, “win or lose.”Rapinoe’s comments came during an interview for a magazine in January in which she was asked if she was excited by the prospect of going to the White House. In a video of an interview excerpt posted on Tuesday, she can be seen using profanity when she says she’s not going.“We’re not gonna be invited,” she added.

The US team, the defending World Cup champions, plays host France in a quarterfinal match tomorrow.Trump’s tweets came two days after an interview with The Hill in which he said it wasn’t appropriate for Rapinoe to protest during the national anthem.Rapinoe started kneeling during the anthem in 2016 to show solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who did it before NFL games to protest social and racial injustice. But the United States Soccer Federation then adopted a policy that requires players to stand.

Now she stands, but she has been criticised for not singing and putting her hand over her heart like other players. Rapinoe, who is gay, has frequently spoken out about politics and has criticised the Trump administration and its policies in the past.Trump has used Twitter to criticise athletes who disagree with him, including Kaepernick and LeBron James.