Megan Rapinoe Faces Calls To ‘Leave The U.S.’ After Olympic Hockey Team Comment

Megan Rapinoe is once again at the center of controversy, this time after criticizing the U.S. men’s hockey team over their interactions with President Donald Trump following their Olympic gold medal win. The outspoken soccer legend didn’t hold back during a recent episode of her podcast, sparking intense backlash online. Some fans went as far as suggesting she should leave the country altogether if she’s unhappy with its leadership, while others defended Megan Rapinoe's right to speak out.

Rapinoe’s comments came after the U.S. men’s hockey team celebrated their gold medal victory and later appeared alongside President Trump, including moments where they were seen laughing at a joke referencing the women’s team.

“The United States men’s hockey team, in their utter moment of glory … ruined it for themselves because they allowed themselves to be totally co-opted by a clown,” Rapinoe said on "A Touch More with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe." “And now, you’re a clown. You look like a clown.”

She argued that the athletes had worked their entire lives for that achievement and should have protected the significance of the moment. “You have the medal. You have the medal swinging around your neck that you won, that you fought for, that you dreamt about your whole life, and then you just gave this whole moment over to this person who you know is just only gonna use it for him," Rapinoe added. "Gonna totally co-opt it."

The former U.S. Women’s National Team star also encouraged Olympic athletes to think carefully before participating in White House celebrations. “Trump's using you to do something else, he's always going to co-opt your moment," she said on the podcast. "Why don't you respect you enough to not be used in this moment.”

Her criticism extended to the hockey team’s reaction during the event, particularly after the president made remarks about the women’s team. “Why don’t you respect you more than to have that moment be taken by someone who, for no reason at all, just takes a huge swing and a jab at women who did the exact same thing that you did?” the former soccer player asked.

During the same podcast discussion, Rapinoe emphasized that she believed leadership decisions could have prevented the interaction entirely. “I would have never, as a captain or a leader on my team … I think that would have been clear to our staffs, and to the larger organization and support staff, those people would never be allowed in our locker rooms,” Rapinoe said.

Sue Bird also weighed in on the situation, pointing out the awkwardness of players laughing along with comments directed at their fellow athletes. “Even if you are a Trump supporter, you voted for him, you’re excited in that moment … he just bashed your friends, he just dismissed the achievement of these women that you’ve been supporting,” Bird said.

Some critics took aim at her long-standing political activism, suggesting she should leave the United States if she strongly opposes its leadership. “Leave the country if you dislike it so much,” someone said, while someone else wrote, “I wish she would go to an Islamic-occupied country for 5 minutes and see how they treat her."

But while some critics pushed back strongly against Megan Rapinoe’s comments, others took a more measured approach, noting that the intersection of sports and politics has long been complicated.

“Whether you agree with Megan Rapinoe or not, athletes aren’t props for any politician, including Donald Trump. Visiting the White House has always been framed as honoring achievement, not endorsing a person,” one person wrote, emphasizing that participation in political ceremonies does not necessarily equal political alignment.

Others argued that Rapinoe’s perspective, while understandable, may overlook the broader purpose of international competition. “Megan Rapinoe telling athletes to skip the White House is classic: noble in sentiment, but skips the bigger picture. Politics aside, the Olympics are about sport, unity, and achievement not taking sides in partisan theater,” another reaction read.

The controversy began after Trump publicly honored the men’s hockey team during his State of the Union address, even awarding goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But then came the joke heard around the world.

"I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that?" Trump said, receiving laughs from the group. He went on to say that if he didn't, "I do believe I probably would be impeached."

Trump’s joke about the women’s team drew criticism nationwide, including from athletes themselves. Women’s team captain Hilary Knight called the remark “distasteful and unfortunate.”

The women did not attend the President's State of the Union address, nor have they visited the White House since the Olympics.