FLASHBACK: Trump Shredded Megan Rapinoe In 2021: ‘The One With The Purple Hair Didn’t Play Too Well’

Critics of the U.S. Women’s National Team, and especially liberal player Megan Rapinoe, have highlighted comments made by former President Donald Trump during a 2021 speech when he singled out Rapinoe for her underwhelming performance at a recent match.

“The women’s soccer team was supposed to easily win, but they went woke, except for a few of them. I love those women that stood up and they saluted our flag,” said Trump as the crowd cheered. “But the one with the purple hair, she didn’t play too well. She went woke, you can have her. Went want ’em to do well but they didn’t. It’s true about woke, just take a look. Everything goes bad.”

WATCH:

FLASHBACK: Trump on Megan Rapinoe in 2021: “The one with the purple hair, she didn’t play too well” pic.twitter.com/gAKQd6qGqk

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) August 6, 2023

On Sunday the USWNT was defeated by Sweden, eliminating the two-time returning champions from the World Cup in the earliest exits for the American side in recent history. The 0-0 game was decided in penalty kicks where Rapinoe missed the goal during her moment under pressure.

Since gaining worldwide fame following her team’s World Cup victory in 2015, Rapinoe became somewhat of a liberal anti-Trump celebrity, using her platform in women’s sports to speak out during the #MeToo movement, LGBT rights, and promoting gender inclusion efforts in women’s sports. The comments sparked a back-and-forth with President Trump throughout his four years in office.

After proclaiming herself as a “walking protest against the Trump administration [because of] everything I stand for” in 2019, President Trump fumed at her refusal to visit the White House following the team’s win, saying Rapinoe should “should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag.”

Posting on Truth Social following the team’s loss, President Trump could barely contain his schadenfreude.

“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our [sic] once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump posted on Sunday evening.

“Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”