AOC invites Megan Rapinoe to House of Representatives instead of White House after row with Trump
Women’s World Cup star attracted president’s ire by saying she was ‘not going to the f***ing White House’
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Your support makes all the difference.US football star Megan Rapinoe has accepted an invitation from leading Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to visit the House of Representatives should her team win the Women’s World Cup.
The co-captain became entangled in a high-profile row with Donald Trump earlier this week after she said “not going to the f***ing White House” if the US side were to triumph at the tournament in France.
The president fired back with a series of angry tweets, accusing the star of showing “disrespect” and claiming “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS”.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez decided to offer Ms Rapinoe and her teammates a different kind of congratulatory trip to Washington, saying they would be welcomed “for a tour of the House of Representatives anytime they’d like”.
The outspoken 33-year-old star immediately accepted the invitation by tweeting: “Consider it done @AOC”.
Senator Kamala Harris, one of the Democrats running for the presidency in 2020, called the visit “a great idea” and also invited the US team for a tour of the Senate.
Making fun of Mr Trump’s White House photo shoots with winning sports teams and hamburgers, the senator from California promised that “we won’t make you eat cold fast food in front of reporters”.
Star striker Alex Morgan, a fellow California native, tweeted: “Thank you!!!! Gotta rep California loud and proud!”
Ms Rapinoe has previously attacked Mr Trump as a “sexist” and “misogynistic” and described herself as “a walking protest”.
The forward said “you can’t win a championship without gays on your team” after scoring twice in the 2-1 victory over hosts France in the quarter-finals. “For me, to be gay and fabulous, during Pride month at the World Cup, is nice,” she said.
One of the first athletes to join Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, she has so far refused to sing or put her hand over her heart during ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the tournament this summer.
The US team, favourite to retain the World Cup, having won in 2015, meets England in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
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