Donald Trump waited almost 24 hours before responding to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s elimination from the World Cup Saturday night.
But the former U.S. president’s supporters and haters alike knew the reaction was coming.
Sweden eliminated the USWNT Saturday on penalty kicks. Longtime star Megan Rapinoe, playing in her final career match, missed a penalty kick. Trump specifically called her out in his comments, but he also blamed President Joe Biden, and being “woke.”
“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 (sic) our once great nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote. “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 U.S. is going to Hell!!! MAGA”
Trump’s reaction mirrored that of many Americans who have cheered the USWNT’s missteps in this World Cup. Many conservatives have openly rooted for the team to lose because of the players’ political stances, including their behavior during the playing of the national anthem.
However, it’s one thing for Joe Blow in Kentucky to tweet such thoughts, and another thing entirely for a man who is running for president, supposedly to represent all Americans, to send the same message. It’s not surprising, though, as Trump has been a longtime vocal critic of the team, Rapinoe in particular
Twitter quickly reacted to Trump’s barbed message to Rapinoe and the USWNT. A surprise finding: A lot of Trump haters don’t care much for Rapinoe, either.
They have a special jacket for that as it wraps the wearer's arms around their body in a self-hug and goes well when used with a room that's padded floor to ceiling too highly recommended for those suffering as donnie is
— Callum McLaren (@Callum_Mac55) August 7, 2023
100% agree. But this applied equall to the USWNT as to America-hater Donald Trump
— Steve Clare (@Steve__Clare) August 6, 2023
Rapinoe is (now was) the USWNT’s Donald Trump. Wish both would exit ASAP
— Jennifer G. Hickey (@cincyred5) August 6, 2023
The irony is that her arrogance and sense of entitlement (not her politics) did as much to make the USWNT unpopular as Donald Trump.
Sad that her international career should end like this, but the US women’s program, especially at the top, has been too full of itself for years
— Steve Clare (@Steve__Clare) August 6, 2023
They aren’t indicting him in the middle of his campaign, he’s campaigning in the middle of their indictments.
— Mad Mom (@cstx924) August 7, 2023