Appearing Tuesday on CNN, U.S. women's
soccer captain Megan Rapinoe told President Donald Trump that his
message excludes groups of Americans.
The out soccer star made her comments
after Team USA won the World Cup.
When host Anderson Cooper asked Rapinoe
what she would say to Trump, she looked into the camera and said:
“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.”
She
added that his “Make America Great Again” slogan harks back
to an era that was not great for everyone, referring to LGBT
Americans.
Cooper, who is also openly gay, agreed,
saying that being LGBT was a crime at the time in the United States.
Late last month, Trump criticized
Rapinoe for saying that she would not visit the White House if the
national team won the World Cup.
“We haven't yet invited Megan or the
team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose,” Trump said in a
tweet. “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.”
Following the team's win, Trump
appeared to backpedal on his invitation. “We haven't really thought
about it. We'll look at that,” he said, according to The
Washington Post.