TIM HOWARD: My message to Christian Pulisic, Nick Bosa, Jon Jones and anyone doing the Donald Trump dance

Here’s my personal opinion: Doing a dance that mimics Donald Trump is stupid. Why? Because whether it’s the President of the United States or my neighbor down the street, I would never support someone who I believe is racist. I wouldn’t glorify that. I wouldn’t do it for anything.

If someone strongly feels differently, that is not a problem. But if you’re going to make a political statement, be bold and brash enough to stand behind it. Don’t be silent and plead innocence like Christian Pulisic.

The USMNT star became the latest athlete to perform the Trump dance after scoring against Jamaica this week. He later insisted, “It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw some people do it and thought it was funny.’

I don’t buy that. Any show of support for Donald Trump is political. But Pulisic is not alone here.

We saw it in the NFL, when 49ers star Nick Bosa wore a MAGA hat and initially tried to dodge questions about it. And we saw it in the UFC, when Jon Jones did the Trump dance for the president-elect after knocking out Stipe Miocic.

It didn’t take long for fans to discover that until recently, Jones was following Kamala Harris on Instagram, but not Trump. But when he’s at ringside, Jones does the dance, hands over his belt and thanks Trump for coming to MSG.

Christian Pulisic recently became the latest athlete to perform the Donald Trump dance

DailyMail.com columnist Tim Howard has no problem with players expressing their opinions

Jon Jones performed Trump’s iconic dance moves for the president-elect at UFC 309

You can’t have it both ways. You’re on one side of this or the other. If you are bold enough to make a public statement, I have no problem with that. But own it.

Pulisic receives a lot of criticism from football fans. That’s not surprising, considering the USWNT has led the way in the fight for equal pay, inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights. Players like Megan Rapinoe have gone to war with Trump. Now the USMNT’s biggest star is doing his dance.

American soccer must bear some of the responsibility for this. Yes, Pulisic is not a child. He is 26 and has been this country’s valued asset for years.

But given the political and social landscape of the past four years, organizations need to educate players. To remind them that their words and actions matter. To teach them that everything they do and everything they say must be thought through.

I don’t care that Trump often claims he’s “the least racist person in the world” or that he won the votes of more black voters in the November election than before. His actions over the decades are clear.

He called for “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country in 2015. He taunted Barack Obama over his birth certificate. He has repeatedly been slow to condemn white supremacist groups.

That’s why I find it difficult to see how this scenario has developed. A prominent player is celebrating a party that everyone – except themselves – considers political? American soccer needs to stay ahead of the curve: gather the players for a meeting, talk to them during training camp, send an email when necessary.

But above all, remind everyone: we just had an election, you might see this dance and you might score a goal this weekend. Think about how you could celebrate.

Nick Bosa crashed NBC’s post-game interview with his teammates to show off a MAGA hat

If Pulisic still does that, fine. But his explanation? That doesn’t wash. And that also falls on the shoulders of US Soccer.

My last match for the national team was in 2017, when Trump had come to power but the chaos had not yet come to a boil.

So politics has never caused any friction in my dressing room. But we would hit the road – to Central America and our CONCACAF rivals – and experience a lot of American hatred.

They cheered the national anthem and during one match, opposition fans sang for Osama Bin Laden. It doesn’t get crazier and more gruesome than that. But all it ever did was bring us together as players. There was never division within the national team and politics never crept into the Premier League when I was there.

For example, when the Rainbow Laces campaign started, I remember Phil Neville – then Everton captain – and a PFA representative saying to us: we’re wearing these. I wore them, other players didn’t.

But it wasn’t this polarizing moment like it always seems to be in America. No one has made a big statement on social media – or on the field. Nobody danced.

Since then, athletes have only become richer and know that they can protect their assets by supporting a particular political party. I have many friends who are very wealthy and have sold their souls to protect their money.

I’ll ask them: Do you care about the political climate your child is growing up in?

They say they care, but they are willing to overlook things to make a better life for themselves. That’s fine. Support whoever you want, for any reason. But my message to Pulisic, Bosa, Jones and Co? Own it.