Hours after the US women's national team won the FIFA Women's World Cup title, president Donald Trump appeared to have backtracked on a promise to invite the team to the White House.
Trump praised the team after they won their second straight title by beating the Netherlands 2-0 in thefinal but appeared to forget that he had invited the entire team to the White House late last month.
"We haven't really thought about it," Trump told reporters after the US' win when asked if the team will be going to the White House. "We will look at that, certainly."
Trump's initial invitation came during a typical Twitter rant after a video emerged of US captain Megan Rapinoe saying that she had no intention of going to the White House under the current administration.
"Women's soccer player, @mPinoe, just stated that she is 'not going to the F...ing White House if we win,' " Trump wrote in an edited version of a tweet that initially and accidentally tagged someone other than Rapinoe.
"Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven't yet invited Megan or the team, but I am now inviting the TEAM, win or lose."
President Donald Trump. Photo / AP
If such a gathering should take place in the White House, it is unclear if anyone in the team would even want to go, with several players echoing Rapinoe's sentiments.
On the same day of Trump's Twitter rant, defender Ali Krieger tweeted that she would stand with Rapinoe and "sit this one out as well".
US co-captain Alex Morgan said before the World Cup that the team would not accept an invitation from Trump, although she said before the final that they will make a decision about it later.
"I think we will make that decision after we finish Sunday's game," Morgan told The Hill.
However, the World Cup champions may still be visiting Washington in the near future after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the players are welcome "for a tour of the House of Representatives anytime they'd like".
"Consider it done," Rapinoe replied to Ocasio-Cortez's tweet.
