Hours after the US women’s national team was eliminated by Sweden in the round of 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, former US President Donald Trump blamed the defeat on star player Megan Rapinoe.

On the social media platform “Truth Social”, former President Donald Trump criticized Megan Rapinoe: “The loss was shocking and completely unexpected. Great shot Megan Rapinoe, the United States is going to hell!!!”.

The defending champion USA is a strong candidate for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and is the most successful team in history (winning 4/8 finals). The elimination in the round of 16, combined with the smile after missing a penalty kick and the controversy about not singing the national anthem before that, made the US team and Megan Rapinoe receive criticism.

There is a history of animosity between Megan Rapinoe, the personality striker of the US women’s team, and the former US president. Ahead of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Megan Rapinoe famously said “I won’t go to the ‘fuckin’ White House’ if we win the tournament,” which angered then-President Donald Trump. At the same time, Megan Rapinoe mocked Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” slogan on CNN: “Maybe America is great for some people, but it’s not great for all Americans.”

Rapinoe’s smile after missing a penalty kick sent the US team packing for home
The former president was quick to retaliate. In a series of tweets filled with exclamation points, Donald Trump told Megan Rapinoe – one of the most successful female US soccer players in history – that she should “Win the game before you talk!” and should not disrespect her country or the American flag.”

In addition to President Donald Trump, Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News host, also criticized Megan Rapinoe “I’m glad they lost. If you don’t support America, I don’t support you.”

While Kelly did not specify how the U.S. women’s soccer team is unsupportive of America, she may be referring to comments made by U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe after the team’s 2019 World Cup victory.

Most members of the U.S. women’s team chose to remain silent during the national anthem before their match against Vietnam
Following Donald Trump’s response, Megan Rapinoe said she criticized the Trump administration for not “standing up for the same things that we stand up for.”

Megan Rapinoe has been a pioneer in supporting the LGTB community, racial inequality, and other social issues in the United States. Megan Rapinoe and WNBA star Sue Bird were the first openly gay couple to appear on the cover of ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue.

Megan Rapinoe was also one of the first white professional athletes to support protests against police brutality in the United States in the Colin Kaepernick.

In contrast to his predecessor, current US President Biden praised Megan Rapinoe’s role in securing equal pay for the US women’s soccer team and her support for LGBT rights. President Biden awarded Rapinoe the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor for a US citizen.

“For nearly 40 years, the US women’s national soccer team has been a champion for gender equality. These women have been an inspiration to Americans of all ages – including our own family,” President Biden said.

When the 2023 Women’s World Cup took place, the Bidens placed a billboard on the North Lawn of the White House to cheer on the team. After the US team lost, first lady Jill Biden said the US team was an inspiration to “women and girls everywhere” – a contrast to Donald Trump’s response.