Echoing a MAGA chorus three days later, former president Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Women's National Team on Thursday, calling the players "leftist maniacs" and claiming they didn't win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics because they are "woke."
After a disappointing loss to Canada in the semifinals on Monday, the U.S. team captured the bronze medal with a victory on Thursday. Longstanding right-wing attacks on the team began to resurface when members participated in a protest against racism at the start of the Olympics.
In his statement, shared by spokeswoman Liz Harrington on Twitter, Trump singled out an old nemesis, Megan Rapinoe, who incidentally scored two goals in the bronze medal victory over Australia — in what may have been her final Olympic game.
"If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of Leftist Maniacs, wasn't woke, they would have won the Gold medal instead of the Bronze," Trump said. "Woke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has. There were, however, a few patriots standing. Unfortunately, they need more help than that respecting our Country and National Anthem. They should replace the wokesters with Patriots and start winning again. The woman with the purple hair played terribly and spends too much time thinking about Radical Left politics and not doing her job!"
Here's how Twitter reacted.
The leader of the republican party is rooting against America. Remember that. https://t.co/IenH6kunlN— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@Bill Pascrell, Jr.) 1628171535.0
I’ll give Trump every cent I have if he can explain the offside rule. Fuck this demented clown. https://t.co/FkrB8YoFG1— Schmetzer's Tough Kids (@Schmetzer's Tough Kids) 1628173275.0
GOP's hatred for US Olympians really hasn't gotten the press attention it deserves. if a Dem ex-president had eve… https://t.co/KvSACCL3Vy— Eric Boehlert (@Eric Boehlert) 1628171516.0
Megan Rapinoe still living rent-free in the ex-president’s mind, I see https://t.co/8HIvzlJlMU— Elise Foley (@Elise Foley) 1628170930.0
Trump, the Big Election Loser, is now 'woke' https://t.co/nTdDDREUgv— stuart jones (@stuart jones) 1628171859.0
Wait till Trump finds out anything about the Canada team https://t.co/UCAUrt0szw— Igor Bobic (@Igor Bobic) 1628171283.0
The team that beat the "woke" US Women's team: https://t.co/FaM4IxCayT https://t.co/sWtnFwB2wE— Chicago Spurs (@Chicago Spurs) 1628171569.0
Canada has a trans man on their team. https://t.co/QW4x1reo6A— bill aged pervert (29) NGA (@bill aged pervert (29) NGA) 1628171389.0
If anyone knows about historical losses, it's him. https://t.co/pCP3C39WFj— New York City should only have 1 District Attorney (@New York City should only have 1 District Attorney) 1628172214.0
Like an aging rock star, playing tiny, half-empty clubs, just weakly strumming through old hits.... https://t.co/OnAtFun7dJ— McNally 🗺 (@McNally 🗺) 1628172330.0
the men's team is so woke, it didn't even qualify. https://t.co/AQCYREMwOL— carl jung socialite (@carl jung socialite) 1628171607.0
imagining the previous president taking the field against the women's soccer team and getting immediately slide tac… https://t.co/fb7jphnqEx— Chris Mohney (@Chris Mohney) 1628172021.0
Donald Trump. Still batshit. https://t.co/JYApK7AEmb— Alex Richards (@Alex Richards) 1628172622.0
