Donald Trump is central to the 2026 World Cup having returned to office as the president of the United States, and his links with football/soccer goes back decades - though in recent times it has become a lot more soured.
While conducting the draw for the 1991 Rumbelows Cup, Donald Trump expressed his intrigue for the sport while also highlighting the success the women's side had enjoyed in the 1991 tournament by beating Norway 2-1 in the final in China.
“I love soccer; I played in high school,” Trump explained. “We’re having the World Cup soon – it’ll be interesting to see how it catches on in the United States. I see the United States won the World Cup for women. That’s pretty good.”
Donald Trump takes aim at Megan Rapinoe...
But if Trump seemed positive about the USA women’s team in 1991, that wasn’t the case a few decades later.
The reason was his squabble with star player Megan Rapinoe, an activist who had previously kneeled during the US national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and spoken of her dismay at Trump’s election. In 2016 she told FFT, “I respect our democratic process, but it’s tough that we chose racism, bigotry, sexism and xenophobia – and for it to all be so blatant.”
Then, midway through the 2019 World Cup, a video emerged of Rapinoe saying she wouldn’t accept an offer to meet Trump at the White House if the USA triumphed.
“I’m not going to the f**king White House,” she said, prompting the inevitable reaction. “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS!” tweeted Trump. “Megan should never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag.”
Just two days later, Rapinoe scored against the hosts, France, and aimed her celebration squarely at Trump. She did win that World Cup, and was named player of the tournament to boot.
“It’s still a bit ridiculous to think about it – that someone would tweet a member of their own national team, for the nation they’re supposed to be leading, during what we were trying to do,” Rapinoe told FFT that November. “He’s not the President of the United States; he’s the President of Donald Trump.”
Four years on in Melbourne, Rapinoe missed a penalty as the Americans lost to Sweden in the last 16 of the 2023 World Cup – and Trump simply couldn’t resist a dig.
“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the US women’s soccer team is fully emblematic of what is happening to our once great nation,” he raged on Truth Social.
“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!!!”
So, the usual stuff then.
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