Rush Limbaugh thinks he’s figured out why soccer standout Megan Rapinoe is trying so hard to garner attention with anti-Trump virtue signaling.
The conservative radio host opined Wednesday that Rapinoe is trying to become the LGBT version of Colin Kaepernick with her “anti-American” activism – and aiming for a similar deal to the one Kaepernick secured with Nike.
“You know what I think this babe may be angling for? Kaepernick!” Limbaugh said. “She wants a Kaepernick deal with Nike! Damn straight! She’s angling for a Kaepernick. She’s showing Nike she can be just as anti-American as Kaepernick. ‘Give me a chance. Let me do the LGBTQ angle of Kaepernick.’”
True motive
Rapinoe led the U.S. women’s national soccer team to victory in the World Cup Sunday against the Netherlands, but victory didn’t come without controversy. The co-captain set off a feud with Trump last month when she said she would reject an invitation from the president to come to the “F–cking White House,” even though no such invitation had been made. Trump fired back, saying that Rapinoe “should WIN first before she TALKS!” On Tuesday, Rapinoe again bashed Trump on CNN for “excluding people” and said that his message is “harking back to an era that was not great for everyone.”
“Have you ever heard Trump criticize people with purple hair? She’s got purple hair, for those of you that haven’t seen her,” Rush responded before continuing his assessment.
I’ve never heard him criticize anybody with purple hair or anything else. Donald Trump is not excluding people…What are we supposed to take from this? Somebody help me, is she LGBTQ? Okay. Okay. Then that’s what this means. She’s talking about the oppression of gays. And Trump wants to bring that back. That’s what Make America Great Again means. He wants to go back and he wants people like her in the closet. There’s not a single utterance ever from Donald Trump on the subject. And, you know what? Anderson Cooper doesn’t care, as long as she’s saying it, mission accomplished.
The athlete has become a darling of the progressive left for using her platform to criticize Trump, protest the U.S. national anthem on the global stage, and make political statements about a pay gap between men and women soccer players. Rush speculated that Rapinoe is trying to show Nike that she’s “just as anti-American” as Kaepernick in order to obtain a contract with the company.
In 2016, Rapinoe became the first white female athlete to kneel during the national anthem, joining Kaepernick’s police brutality protests, and she has repeatedly refused to sing the anthem and place her hand over her heart while the anthem is played. In explaining her decision, Rapinoe said in May that she sees her snubs as a “f you” to the Trump administration and that “Kaepernick inspired me.”
Kaepernick, who has an advertising partnership with Nike, stirred controversy before July 4th when Nike stopped selling a Betsy Ross flag-themed sneaker after Kaepernick complained about the shoe, saying it evoked America’s slaveholding past. Rush speculated that Rapinoe could make a similar move.
“But she would demand to be paid the same as Kaepernick. But then she would have to perform like Kaepernick. They’d have to design a set of soccer shoes that had the American flag on it, she’d have to say, ‘Nope, not wearing ’em. Don’t sell ’em,’ and they would say, ‘OK. We won’t.’ Or whatever.”
Darling of the left
Meanwhile, outside of politics, some say that Rapinoe and her teammates have shown an unsportsman-like attitude. A viral clip of Rapinoe standing on a parade float in Manhattan, champagne in one hand, World Cup trophy in the other, and shouting, “I deserve this” was scrutinized on social media as egotistical and classless. Also during victory parade celebrations in Manhattan on Wednesday, Rapinoe stood with her arms at her side, smirking, while the national anthem played.
Watch below:
Megan Rapinoe standing on a parade float in Manhattan with a bottle of Veuve in one hand and the World Cup trophy in the other shouting “I DESERVE THIS.”
There will never be a bigger mood. pic.twitter.com/GjHMjGkgsS
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) July 10, 2019
Rapinoe, Rush said, is the latest “victim” the left is foolishly boosting up to attack President Trump.
“They think this is the kind of stuff that’s going to defeat [President Donald] Trump. They think this is the kind of stuff that’s going to take Trump out. They think this is the kind of stuff that the Democrat nominee is going to win saying.”
“And who can blame them? They’ve got this idiot corporation rewarding this lunatic corporation rewarding this lunatic pro football player that can’t get a job. With fame and wealth for doing this kind of stuff. The more I hear of [Rapinoe], the more I think she’s angling to be the LGBTQ Kaepernick for Nike,” Limbaugh added.
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