World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe Says Trump ‘Divides So He Can Conquer’
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe, co-captain of the World Cup Champion women’s team, stopped by Meet the Press to discuss equal pay and her thoughts about President Donald Trump.
EXCLUSIVE: World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe responds to her decision to not go to the Trump White House #MTP #IfItsSunday@mPinoe: "I think Trump's message excludes people that look like me and are me … he is trying to divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer" pic.twitter.com/FT7KudJCFi
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 14, 2019
The conversation began with equal pay. The US Women’s National Team has filed a lawsuit to earn an equal amount of money to the men’s team. For example, the women’s team will receive $250,000 each for their championship win, but if the men’s team won, each player would receive $1,000,000 each.
So Chuck Todd asked Rapinoe what corporate sponsors could do to give the women equal pay. “Are you disappointed in the way corporate America’s handled this, your sponsors?”
Rapinoe responded, “Yeah, I am. I think that we can do a lot more a lot more quickly. I think that it is a complicated issue and I think sometimes we get in the weeds about it, can’t see the forest for the trees, when big sponsors can just write the check. These are some of the most powerful corporations, not just in sports but in the world and have so much weight that they can throw around. And I think that they just need to get comfortable throwing it around.”
Later, the conversation turned to President Trump. Rapinoe went viral before the World Cup for responding to a question about whether she would visit the White House if they won, saying, “I’m not going to the fucking White House.”
Todd asked, “What do you tell a Trump supporter who loves watching you? And is like, ‘I wish she’d go to the White House’?”
Rapinoe replied, “I think that I would try to share our message. Do you believe that all people are created equal? Do you believe that equal pay should be mandated? Do you believe that everyone should have healthcare? Do you believe that we should treat everyone with respect?”
She added, “I will continue to be vulnerable and be honest and be open and want to have that conversation because I think Trump’s message excludes people that look like me and that are me, of course. But it excludes a lot of people in his base as well. And I think that he’s trying to divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer.”
Rapinoe makes an insightful point here, that Trump is not only excluding his political enemies, he excludes his base of supporters as well. Trump’s language of exclusion that doesn’t value anyone who isn’t a white, straight, cisgender male leaves out many in his base who voted for him. Even Trump’s tax cuts did not help the “economically anxious” white working class who supported him. Instead, the tax cuts limited deductions they had been taking for years and gave billions to the rich and corporations. Because Trump doesn’t care about his base beyond courting their votes.
Music
via https://www.DMT.NEWS
Peter Wade, Khareem Sudlow
