U.S. Women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe announced her support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) presidential campaign in a video posted Friday to social media.
“I truly believe the best things in life are a result of being bold and being real. This extends to every part of my life and nothing feels more relevant and real than this election,” Rapinoe wrote in a caption shared to her Instagram account. “I’m proud to endorse @elizabethwarren today, for being bold, for being real, for listening to ALL of us, and for being prepared to navigate the unique challenges we face today as a country.”
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The split-screen video shows Warren congratulating Rapinoe, 34, on Sports Illustrated naming her “sportsperson of the year” for 2019 and praising her advocacy of social justice causes. “I would love to endorse you and be on your team help in any way that I can, so consider me Team Warren,” the athlete replied.
The midfielder rocketed to Resistance folk-hero status after protesting the U.S. national anthem during the world cup and subsequently slamming President Donald Trump and his supporters as divisive.
Following her team’s victory, Rapinoe told CNN that she would refuse an invitation to the White House to celebrate.
“I don’t think anyone on the team has any interest in lending the platform that we’ve worked hard to build and the things that we fight for and the way that we live our life,” Rapinoe said, “I don’t think we want that to be co-opted or corrupted by this administration. … There are so many other people that I would rather talk to and have meaningful conversations that can really affect change in Washington than going to the White House.”
In the same interview, Rapinoe told host Anderson Cooper that the president’s rhetoric is bullying to her and people of color.
“Your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me. You’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color. You’re excluding Americans that maybe support you,” she said. “We need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you’re saying about ‘Make America Great Again.’ I think you are harking back to an era that was not great for everyone.”
Since her newfound fame, Rapinoe has joined former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and kneeler Colin Kaepernick in landing an advertising campaign with Nike.
Rapinoe’s endorsement comes as Warren continues to slide in national polls. The Massachusetts Democrat currently sits in third place with 15.8 percent approval in a RealClearPolitics polling average.