Sports
Megan Rapinoe Refused to Go to White House Despite Donald Trump Invite
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America, the ever-increasing involvement of United States President Donald Trump is becoming a cause for concern and many have called for major boycotts – but it’s not the first time the 79-year-old has irked a big-name footballing star as they refused to meet the US President when he invited them to the White House.
Argentina will be hopping on the plane in search of a consecutive title; but England, Spain, France and the like will be hoping to knock Lionel Scaloni’s off their perch as the champions of international football.
The international showpiece is just months away from getting underway – and the concerns over Trump’s involvement are growing by the day. Not only has he placed several qualified nations on his travel ban list, but FIFA figurehead Gianni Infantino has also suggested that he’ll be handing the trophy to the winners in July at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
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Megan Rapinoe Once Refused Donald Trump’s Invite to the White House
In the summer of 2019, Megan Rapinoe was a key figure for the USWNT, and she scored two goals to send her nation through to the quarter-finals and just two days later, Trump warned her not to “disrespect” her country after she spoke out about the prospect of visiting the White House if they reigned victorious – which they eventually did, winning 2-0 against the Netherlands in the final.
While speaking to Eight by Eight magazine, the well-known footballer stated that a visit to Trump’s White House – typically offered to teams who win major sporting events – was off the cards. “I’m not going to the f***ing White House,” the now-40-year-old stated outright. “No f***ng way will we be invited to the White House.”
Watch Megan Rapinoe’s expletive-ridden rant targeting Donald Trump (Strong language warning):
Trump took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to the comments of Rapinoe, who played for Chicago Red Stars and Olympique Lyonnais during his career. “Women’s soccer player, Megan Rapinoe, just stated that she is “not going to the F…ing White House if we win.” Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level in our Country’s history, and the poverty index is also best number EVER), leagues and teams love coming to the White House,” he wrote.
“I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven’t yet invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose. Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & her team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!”
Rapinoe – ranked as one of the greatest women’s footballers of all time by AI – was backed by her compatriots as her back-and-forth with Trump overshadowed the team’s impressive run from the group stages to the final.
In a news conference before her nation’s quarter-final clash against France, per BBC Sport, Rapinoe doubled down on her comments. “I stand by the comments that I made about not wanting to go to the White House with the exception of the expletive,” she said before adding, “My mom would be very upset about that.”
Alex Morgan also made it known she wouldn’t go to the White House, while Ali Krieger also offered her words of support for Rapinoe, claiming Trump was angered by women he “cannot control or grope” and decrying what she described as the administration’s “fight against LGBTQ+ citizens, immigrants & our most vulnerable”.
The USWNT are not the only team to have refused a visit to the White House: the Golden State Warriors did so after winning the NBA championship, and the case was the same for the Philadelphia Eagles, who skipped the trip after winning Super Bowl LII. Rapinoe, however, was part of the US team that visited the White House in 2015 to meet then president Barack Obama after winning the women’s World Cup in 2015 after beating Japan in the final.
Donald Trump Banned Another World Cup Winner After Insulting the US President On TV
Rapinoe, because of how outspoken she was on social issues during her career, was a leading light in women’s football when it came to standing up against what she believed was wrong – and Diego Maradona carries the same sort of weight for men’s football. The Argentine, who won football’s biggest prize in 1986, claimed that he was banned from visiting America after insulting Trump on live television.
“You can imagine, I was in the embassy and I said, ‘Diego, please don’t talk about the United States. Because the interview was with TeleSur and I know how these things go,” Trump said. “And the second question was ‘What do you think of Donald Trump?’ He said ‘Donald Trump is a chirolita (a slang term for dummy or puppet).”
At that time, Maradona had retired from his playing days and was managing Al Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. He needed to visit Miami to make a court appearance involving his ex-wife, Claudia Villafane, but his lawyer told him: “After this [insulting Trump], I’m goign to have to represent you in Miami instead.”
