Megan Rapinoe condemns Trump’s racist tweets: ‘It’s disgusting, to be honest’

Seattle-based star refused to visit White House

US women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe has launched a new attack on Donald Trump, terming his racist tweets about four minority congressman “disgusting”.

The 34-year co-captain and midfielder of the team who had a very public spat with the president, said she thought his tweets and comments about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, were unacceptable. She said she took heart from the fact there had been such criticism of his language.

“It’s disgusting, to be honest,” Rapinoe told CNN on Saturday. “To say it’s disappointing is…it doesn’t even come close.”

She added: “The more that we just are upset about it and don’t accept that kind of behaviour from all sides, then the better place we’re going to be.”

Rapinoe, who plays for the Seattle Reign, has been a long time critic of the president, and was among the first professional athletes to support NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in 2016 started by taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality against minorities.

Earlier this summer, she upset the president when remarks emerged in which she repeatedly said she was “not going to the f****** White House” if the team won the world cup, which it did.

“I don’t think anyone on the team has any interest in lending the platform that we’ve worked so hard to build, and the things that we fight for, and the way that we live our life,” she said at the time.

“I don’t think that we want that to be co-opted or corrupted by this administration.”

In a series of tweets and comments, Mr Trump had said four Democratic congresswomen, three of whom were born in the US and one of whom is a former refugee from Somalia, should “go back home”.

Asked about the comments at the White House, he said: “As far as I’m concerned if you hate our country, if you’re not happy here, you can leave.”

During a rally in North Carolina this week, Mr Trump’s supporters broke into chants of “send her back” when he talked about Ms Omar, who represents a congressional district in Minnesota.

He later claimed he tried to stop the chants by “talking quickly”, though recordings show him pausing for up to 14 seconds before continuing his speech.