Former President Donald mocked the U.S. women’s soccer team during a speech in Phoenix on Saturday, stirring up the crowd to boo the team and cheer for its recent devastating loss to Sweden.
“Woke politics takes the life and joy out of everything. Wokeism makes you lose, ruins your mind and ruins you as a person. You become warped. You become demented,” Trump said.
“The U.S. women’s soccer team is a very good example of what’s going on. Earlier this week, they unexpectedly lost to Sweden three to nothing and Americans were happy about it. You proved that point before I even said it,” Trump continued to a roaring crowd.
Last week, all 22 players on the U.S. women’s soccer team took a knee in protest against racism before their first game in the Tokyo Olympics before suffering a shocking 3-0 loss to Sweden. The upset cost the Team USA soccer players a 44-game winning streak.
The women’s soccer team was ranked number one in the world heading into the match against Sweden, which was ranked fifth.
“FINAL | Not the start we wanted but plenty of tournament to play. We go again on Saturday,” Team USA women’s soccer tweeted after the match.
Part of the “woke politics” referenced by Trump is the U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision to no longer require players stand for the national anthem, voting earlier this year to repeal a 2017 policy that called on national team players to “stand respectfully” during the Star-Spangled Banner before national team games.
The repealed policy stated, “All persons representing a Federation national team shall stand respectfully during the playing of national anthems at any event in which the Federation is represented.”
United States Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone commented on the vote during Saturday’s meetings, asserting that the decision was not meant to disrespect the flag or the military.
“This is about the athletes’ and our staff’s right to peacefully protest racial inequalities and police brutality,” she said. “So I urge our membership to please support our staff and our athletes on this policy.”
According to ESPN, the rule was created after U.S. women’s national team player Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem prior to a game in 2016.
Former U.S. men’s team player Jermaine Jones also supported the now-repealed policy, calling the chance to wear the Team USA jersey a “blessing.”
“You know, for me it’s clear. I think if you represent your country, you have to stand,” he said. “So if you have the blessing that you can wear that jersey, I don’t think it’s nice for you to kneel down and that’s my [view] to that.”
