This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
On July 9, 2019, US Women's World Cup team captain Megan Rapinoe stated that her teammates would decline a potential White House invitation from President Donald Trump.
According to Rapinoe, who spoke on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," she and her teammates would not accept the invitation, citing their desire to avoid lending their platform to the Trump administration.
"I would not go and every teammate that I've talked to explicitly about it would not go," Rapinoe said.
She further criticized Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, suggesting that it excludes certain groups of people, including herself and those of color.
"I would say that your message is excluding people. You're excluding me. You're excluding people that look like me. You're excluding people of color," Rapinoe said.
The US Women's World Cup team defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the World Cup final on July 7, 2019, in Lyon, with Megan Rapinoe scoring a penalty and Rose Lavelle scoring a goal.
President Trump responded to Rapinoe's comments on Twitter, stating that she should not disrespect the country, the White House, or the flag.
