Megan Rapinoe says Trump is excluding people that 'look like her' and is 'trying to divide so he can conquer'
Megan Rapinoe, one of the co-captains of the US women's national soccer team that just lifted the world cup in France and an outspoken critic of President Trump, has once again taken aim at the president.
In an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press', the 34-year-old said the president's message to the masses was actively aimed at excluding people who 'look like her'.
She told NBC host Chuck Todd: "I think Trump's message excludes people that look like me and are me, of course," she said. "But it excludes a lot of people in his base, as well. And I think that he is trying to divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer."
Rapinoe has been uncensored in her criticism of the president, popularly snapping back with, "I'm not going to the f****** White House," when asked if she would go with the team if they successfully lifted their second consecutive world cup.
She had also hit headlines in 2016 after expressing solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and becoming the first female sports star to kneel in protest during the national anthem.
Rapinoe has kept up her protest in the years since, and can always be seen standing with her hands by her side instead of over her heart as the anthem plays prior to USWNT games.
However, she did not rule out the possibility of going to the White House and said there were "50 policy issues that we can probably reverse and get going" before she would consider going. "I mean, it would take a tremendous amount I think. I understand that progress is sometimes slow and I’ll never close any door all the way," she said. "But I think it would take more than Trump is willing to do", she added.
In tune with her message during the team's victory parade in New York City where she urged people to "Be more. Be Better. Be Bigger," she said she hoped her team's win would encourage people to "take the progress step."
She told Todd she was able to speak up in public because "the opportunity is in everyone's exhaustion of the fighting and the negative, and our team has managed to make people proud again, to capture people's interest, to make them want to do something."
"I think people are asking the question, How can we rally around this team?" she continued. "And in that, really, what the team stands for, whether it's equal pay or racial equality or LGBTQ rights."
She also promised to "fight for equal pay" for the rest of her life.
"You know what? I’m going to fight for equal pay every day for myself, for my team, and for every single person out there, man, woman, immigrant, US citizen, person of color, whatever it may be," she said. "Equal pay, as the great Serena Williams said, 'until I'm in my grave'," she said.