Megan Rapinoe says her parents 'need to go to therapy' for watching Fox News

Dillon Thompson
Updated ·2 min read
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Megan Rapinoe has given new insight into how she deals with her parents' political views, including a suggestion that they "need to go to therapy" for watching Fox News.

In a new interview with the Guardian, the two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion discussed a wide range of issues, including social justice, pay equality and President Trump.

Rapinoe, who drew criticism from Trump and several Fox News hosts during the 2019 World Cup, told the newspaper she believes her father voted for Trump in 2016. She also said she was confused by her parents' ability to watch a news station that has often been critical of their own daughter.

"I'm very similar to how [my parents] are, even though I think my dad voted for Trump and I'll say: 'I don't get it. How are you simultaneously as proud as punch of me, and watching Fox News all the time, [who are doing] takedowns of your daughter?'" Rapinoe said. "That's why I'm like: 'You guys need to go to therapy.'"

RELATED: A look at Megan Rapinoe through the years

The soccer star has repeatedly used her platform to protest against social injustice and inequality in the U.S., including refusing to sing along to the national anthem during the 2019 World Cup. She later said that she would not visit the White House if her team won the tournament.

That statement prompted a series of tweets from President Trump, who said Rapinoe "should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag."

Rapinoe spoke with the Guardian about her feud with the president, calling the conflict "ridiculous."

"It's ridiculous and absurd,” Rapinoe said in the interview, which was published Saturday. "People were like: 'That was so intense!' And I'm like: 'Honestly, he's a f****** joke, so it wasn't intense, because this is ridiculous.'"

The interview went on to touch on her team's ongoing legal battle with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The U.S. women's team filed a lawsuit against the federation earlier this year, demanding to be paid the same as their male counterparts. Rapinoe is one of the team's leading voices on the issue.

"We won't accept anything less than equal pay," Rapinoe told "Good Morning America" on Thursday. "We show up for a game. If we win the game, if we lose the game, if we tie the game, we want to be paid equally, period."