Donald Trump led a chorus of conservative cheers on Sunday after the U.S. women’s soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup.
The team lost 5–4 to Sweden on penalties and crashed out in the second round – their first ever exit from a major tournament.
Megan Rapinoe, Trump’s old nemesis, missed a penalty, ending her last World Cup in a disappointing fashion.
Rapinoe, 38, retires after the tournament, with two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal.
The outspoken Rapinoe is as well known for her activism and support of left-wing causes as she is for her athletic achievements, and Trump singled her out for particular libel on Sunday, as usual.
President Donald Trump shows off a World Cup soccer ball given to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland
A stunned Rapinoe is seen after the US is knocked out of the tournament
“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss of the US women’s soccer team to Sweden is completely symbolic of what is happening to our once great nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote on social media.
Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved like this, or even close.
‘WAKE UP IS EQUALS TO FAIL.
Nice shot Megan, the US is going to hell!!! MAGA.’
Benny Johnson, chief creative officer at Turning Point USA, also scoffed at Rapinoe’s missed penalty.
“Furthered the humiliation of American women’s soccer,” Johnson tweeted.
After winning back-to-back World Cups, heavily favored Team USA has been eliminated by Sweden in the (round of 16).
“Team USA’s demise was delivered by the shameful free kick of anti-America, anti-women activist Megan Rapinoe here.”
Joey Mannarino, a conservative political strategist, said, “I support America every time they get involved in sports, except for women’s soccer.
“The game was lost because Megan Rapinoe, the awake piece of dirt, missed a penalty kick.
So Megan now bears the responsibility for why the US lost.
‘I’m so happy to see it.
‘Wake up, go bankrupt!
“Megan Rapinoe is now retiring with her head bowed in shame.”
Trump, seen in South Carolina on Sunday, applauded Rapinoe’s disappointment
Rapinoe, known for her outspoken political views and activism, was mocked by Donald Trump on Sunday
The team can be seen on July 27 for their first round of the World Cup
Rapinoe kneels during the national anthem in September 2016, in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality. It marked the beginning of her feud with Trump
American soccer star Megan Rapinoe (pictured) said her team would be happy to accept New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s invitation to the Senate after their 2019 World Cup win – but not the White House
Rapinoe is seen talking to Barack Obama at the White House after winning the 2015 World Cup
Obama poses with the women’s team and their staff in 2015
Rapinoe garnered national attention when she knelt for the national anthem during an international game in September 2016 — a move in support of NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s stance against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
Rapinoe also demanded that the women’s team be paid the same as the men – a battle that was finally won in February 2022.
She’s been feuding with Trump for years, saying she wouldn’t visit the White House, as is tradition, if they won the 2019 World Cup – which they did.
In response to her statement that she “didn’t go to the fucking White House,” Trump said, “Megan should never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag, especially because so much has been done for her.” & the team.’
After her team’s win, she used an interview with Meet The Press in July 2019 to say she didn’t feel welcome in Trump’s America.
“I think Trump’s message excludes people who are like me and are natural to me,” Rapinoe said.
“But it also excludes a lot of people in its base.
“And I think he’s trying to divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer.”
Later that month, when Trump told lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-ridden places they came from,” Rapinoe said that was ‘disgusting’.
She also described the Supreme Court overturning national abortion rights as deliberately “cruel.”
She later added, “You can understand from an individual perspective how hard it is to live in a country where you have a constant, relentless, violent tide against you – an attack as a woman, and it would be a gay, and as a non-binary person, as a trans person.’
In August 2021, Trump criticized the “left-wing maniacs” on the US women’s soccer team, saying they would have won gold at the Tokyo Olympics if they hadn’t been so “awakened.”
The former president also called Rapinoe the “woman with the purple hair” and said she played “terribly” after they finished with the bronze medal, following a victory over Australia.
“If our football team, led by a radical group of left-wing maniacs, hadn’t woken up, they would have won the gold medal instead of the bronze,” he said.
“Waking up means you lose, everything awake goes bad, and our football team certainly has that.
“However, there were a few patriots. Unfortunately, they need more than that with respect for our country and national anthem. They should replace the Woksters with Patriots and win again.”