World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe has endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren for President (Getty)
World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe has endorsed Elizabeth Warren for President.
Rapinoe, who was recently named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, announced her support for the Democratic Senator’s Presidential bid on Friday, sharing a video of a phone call with Warren.
Megan Rapinoe and Elizabeth Warren are teaming up
In the clip, Warren tells her: “I just wanted to call and say thank you. We need you in this battle.” In return, the football player praises her “bold” campaign pledges to tackle inequality.
Rapinoe says: “I just don’t think we can get to a moderate line, so I appreciate you being out front and being big and bold with that. We have to build a system that takes everybody into account by listening to everybody.”
Warren paid tribute to Rapinoe’s work fighting for equality, saying: “You get out there and you both lead the team on the field, but you also help lead America off the field, and that’s really important.”
In an Instagram post, Rapinoe added: “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.
“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.”
Warren is one of the top-tier candidates in the Democratic field, along with former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Rapinoe, one of five LGBT+ players on the 2019 US World Cup squad, has made no secret of her disdain for Donald Trump – vowing during the tournament to boycott a White House reception.
Addressing the President directly in a CNN interview, Rapinoe explained: “Your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me, you’re excluding people of colour, you’re excluding Americans that maybe support you.”
Megan Rapinoe: Gay rights intersects with inequality
In a previous interview with The Guardian, Rapinoe explained: “The more I’ve been able to learn about gay rights and equal pay and gender equity and racial inequality, the more that it all intersects.
“You can’t really pick it apart. It’s all intertwined. God forbid you be a gay woman and a person of colour in this country, because you’d be really f**ked.
“You can’t really speak out on one thing and not another without it not being the full picture.
“We need to talk about a larger conversation in this country about equality in general and respect – especially with the narrative that’s coming from the White House right now.”