U.S. Women’s National Team soccer star Megan Rapinoe, a vehement critic of President Donald Trump, has revealed that her father voted for Trump.
Rapinoe told The Guardian’s Emma Brockes in an interview published Saturday that she’d even confronted her father about his political leanings.
After Brockes suggested that Rapinoe’s parents are closeted liberals, the openly gay soccer star replied: “I know. And I’m very similar to how they are, even though I think my dad voted for Trump and I’ll say: ‘I don’t get it. How are you simultaneously as proud as punch of me, and watching Fox News all the time, [who are doing] takedowns of your daughter?’”
“That’s why I’m like: ‘You guys need to go to therapy,'” she added.
Rapinoe also confessed to having “some major blow-ups,” with her parents, who raised her in the conservative, mostly working-class city of Redding, California.
MORE: US Soccer Releases Damning Info Showing How Much Money the Women’s Team’s Lost Since 2009
But political differences aside, Rapinoe’s ties to her mother and father remain strong.
“I’m very close to my family. It’s not like: ‘Ugh, I’m from a conservative town and I never talk to them any more.’ I talk to my parents all the time, every day. And I feel like I have seen progress and growth,” she said.
“Pinoe,” as she is known to her fans, also described what she felt after Trump – responding to Rapinoe’s declaration that she would not be going to the “fucking White House” if the U.S. won the 2019 Women’s World Cup – slammed her in a series of tweets in late June.
….in our Country’s history, and the poverty index is also best number EVER), leagues and teams love coming to the White House. 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….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2019
“People were like: ‘That was so intense!’ And I’m like: ‘Honestly, he’s a fucking joke, so it wasn’t intense, because this is ridiculous,'” she told The Guardian.
Megan Rapinoe: “walking protest”
The former University of Portland standout’s political statements off the field – blasting Trump’s administration, protesting during the national anthem, advocating for “equal pay” in women’s sports and cozying up to congressional Democrats – have drawn as much attention as her stellar athletic performances.
Rapinoe, who once described herself as a “walking protest,” has become a divisive figure of late: beloved by liberals who welcome her championing of progressive causes and denounced by conservatives who view her as unpatriotic and smug.
In her interview with The Guardian, “Pinoe” intimated that her trademark brashness was a means to achieving her activist goals.
“How can you see all the shit that’s happening and not say anything? Everyone has the responsibility to do their part – I just happen to be naturally very confident, and it seems that people listen to me,” she said.
MORE: Young Boy Asks Megan Rapinoe for an Autograph – Her ‘Classless’ Response Goes Viral
“I’m kind of charming and I’m famous. So this is the way that I have to do it.”
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