Megan Rapinoe for president? USA star would beat Trump in 2020, poll finds
Megan Rapinoe may not visit Donald Trump in the White House but she might throw him out of it, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
Rapinoe, 34, capped an outstanding World Cup on Sunday, scoring a penalty as the USA beat the Netherlands 2-0 in Lyon to win their fourth title.
The outspoken USA co-captain said earlier in the tournament she would not visit the White House if her team won the title and Trump extended an invitation.
Trump responded by criticising Rapinoe on Twitter. He congratulated the team on their win but also vacillated on whether the team would be asked to visit.
On Monday, Rapinoe said the team would visit Congress but not the White House, if asked.
A day later, Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, said that due to “popular demand”, it had polled the public about a “Megan Rapinoe v Donald Trump 2020 match-up”.
It said: “We found that Rapinoe gets 42% to 41% for Trump.”
Trump’s 41% result accorded with PPP polls pitching the president against eight of the Democrats who are vying to challenge him.
PPP also said voters who were undecided between Trump and Rapinoe had backed Hillary Clinton against Trump in 2016, thereby suggesting the soccer star had room to improve her result.
PPP also made a point pertinent to debate among Democrats over how best to beat Trump next year.
Though “Rapinoe may be an unlikely presidential candidate”, PPP said, her numbers “still speak to a broader truth about Trump’s standing – the fact
that he polls in the low 40s against any Democrat … shows that electability concerns are overrated”.
Democrats, the pollster said, “should feel comfortable voting for the candidates they like the best, not just the ones they think have the best chance of beating Trump”.
Should she somehow decide to run, Rapinoe, 34, would not be alone among non-politicians chasing the Democratic nomination.
Andrew Yang, a tech entrepreneur, and Marianne Williamson, a wellness guru, have qualified for the second debate. Tom Steyer, a billionaire who has campaigned for Trump’s impeachment, announced his entry to the race on Tuesday.
Furthermore, Rapinoe has expressed in public opinions that would endear her to Democratic voters.
She has emerged as a prominent advocate of equal pay for the US women’s team and is also a prominent advocate of LGBTQ rights, saying during the World Cup: “You can’t win a championship without gays on your team – it’s never been done before, ever. That’s science, right there!”
PPP has shown before that it is not above applying its own science to unusual questions. During the Republican primary in 2016, the firm produced results showing that 38% of Florida voters thought it possible the Texas Republican Ted Cruz was in fact the Zodiac killer.