Women's World Cup: Megan Rapinoe speaks about her 'extremely American' identity

"I know that I'm not perfect. But I think that I stand for honesty and for truth and for wanting to have the conversation," Rapinoe said.

Published : Jul 03, 2019 22:41 IST

Megan Rapinoe's has spoken about her pride of representing the USA.
Megan Rapinoe's has spoken about her pride of representing the USA.
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Megan Rapinoe's has spoken about her pride of representing the USA.

Despite her feud with President Donald Trump, Megan Rapinoe emphasized Wednesday how proud she is to be representing the United States at the Women's World Cup in France.

Speaking during a media availability session for the U.S. women's national team, Rapinoe gave a poignant response when asked how she feels to be an American.

"I think that I'm particularly and uniquely and very deeply American," Rapinoe said, via The Athletic. "If we want to talk about the ideals that we stand for, the song and the anthem, and what we were founded on, I think I'm extremely American. I think for the detractors, I would have them look hard into what I'm actually saying, the actions that I'm doing, maybe you don't agree with every single way that I do it and that can be discussed.

"I know that I'm not perfect. But I think that I stand for honesty and for truth and for wanting to have the conversation. Looking at the country honestly and saying yes, we are a great country, and there are many things that are so amazing and I feel very fortunate to be in this country. I would never be able to do this in a lot of other places. But also: that doesn't mean that we can't get better. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't always strive to be better.

"I think that this country was founded on a lot of good ideals, but it was also founded on slavery. And I think we just need to be really honest about that, and be really open in talking about that so we can reconcile that and hopefully move forward and make this country better for everyone."

Rapinoe, who sat out the team's 2-1 semifinal win over England on Tuesday due to a minor hamstring injury, was called out by Trump for saying she won't visit the White House and for refusing to sing during the national anthem.

Trump wrote, in part: "Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team."

Rapinoe's girlfriend, WNBA star Sue Bird, fired back at Trump via a lengthy letter in The Players' Tribune titled: "So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend."

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