Evangelist Franklin Graham on Monday reacted to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s (USWNT) defeat, quoting former President Donald Trump that “woke equals failure.”
“The US Women’s National Soccer Team lost to Sweden yesterday at the 2023 Women’s World Cup,” Graham began, explaining why he no longer supports the team.
“I used to pull for our women’s soccer team, but recently they have shown disrespect for the US & have used their platform to promote the LGBTQ agenda. When they lost, I wasn’t sad,” he continued.
“I wish I didn’t feel that way, but when players think it is more about them than the nation they represent, I can’t support that. I agree with former President @realDonaldTrump who said about the team: ‘WOKE EQUALS FAILURE,’” he added.
The US Women’s National Soccer Team lost to Sweden yesterday at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. I used to pull for our women’s soccer team, but recently they have shown disrespect for the US & have used their platform to promote the LGBTQ agenda. When they lost, I wasn’t sad. I wish…
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) August 7, 2023
The loss marked the end of Megan Rapinoe’s international career, with a failed kick during a penalty shoot-out against Sweden.
“Rapinoe and Sophia Smith missed penalties that could have given the U.S. the win, and Kelley O’Hara missed the Americans’ final shot to give Sweden the opening it needed,” Breitbart News detailed.
“I mean, this is like a sick joke. For me personally, this is like dark comedy that I missed a penalty. This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game. I think it can be cruel,” Rapinoe said in a post-game interview.
“I think this team has always fought for so much more and that’s been the most rewarding part for me… To know that we’ve used our really special talent to do something that’s changed the world forever.” 🇺🇸❤️@USWNT‘s @mPinoe speaks with @JennyTaft after the game ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NUx9Oku4mf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 6, 2023
Megan Rapinoe laughing after missing the penalty 😂
She talked all that shit about equal pay and at the end she was the one that knocked them out of the world cup #USWNT pic.twitter.com/RJl6kEVJvJ
— Amir Reza (@amir7reza7) August 6, 2023
Rapinoe’s miss triggered glee across social media, as Americans mocked the soccer star who became a household name due to her devotion to political activism — namely, left-wing advocacy — including her decision to kneel for the national anthem. Last year, President Biden awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That same year, Rapinoe blasted men for remaining “silent” in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Megan Rapinoe kneels during a game between England and USWNT at Wembley Stadium on October 7, 2022, in London, England. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
“You’ve been silent to us, as a whole,” she at the time. “Stand up, say something. This is your wife, this is your sister, this is your friend, this is your girlfriend, this is the mother of your children. This is all of us.”
“And you are allowing a violent and consistent onslaught on the autonomy of women’s bodies, on women’s rights, on women’s minds, on our hearts, on our souls,” she continued.
Notably, Rapinoe also advocated for “100 percent” inclusion of men who identify as females participating in women’s sports.
Ultimately, she ended her stint in true form, naming her greatest memory as a top USWNT player as forcing U.S. Soccer to give the women’s team equal pay with the men’s team.
After the L at the World Cup today, Megan Rapinoe was asked what her favorite memory of playing for US soccer was.
Her response was “equal pay” pic.twitter.com/zgeCM99WWW
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 6, 2023
Former President Donald Trump also mocked the soccer star following her loss.
“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” he said. “Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”