Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have invited the U.S. women’s national soccer team to visit the Capitol after their stunning 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the World Cup final.
Pelosi on Sunday congratulated the team for winning with “strength, unity & patriotism” and extended the invitation “by popular, bipartisan demand” with Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.)
“I’m pleased to invite the players to the US Capitol as a team or individually to celebrate your inspiring victory,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter.
Schumer on Monday also extended an invitation, saying, “It would be my honor to host America’s winning team.” He also gave a shout-out to the two New Yorkers on the team, Alley Long and Crystal Dunn.
The invites came after co-captain Megan Rapinoe accepted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) offer to come to the Capitol instead of visiting the White House.
Rapinoe, who won the tournament’s Golden Boot as the top scorer, has publicly feuded with President Trump and last month said she was “not going to the f—ing White House” in the case of a World Cup win.
Trump responded in a tweet that “leagues and teams love coming to the White House” and he is a “big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer” but cautioned that “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!”
The athlete doubled down and said she stood by her comments “with the exception of the expletive — my mom will be very upset about that.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment about if an invitation will be extended.
Star forward Alex Morgan said Friday that the team would make that decision together.
The president congratulated the team on Sunday and said “America is proud of you all!”
“We haven’t really thought about it,” he told reporters when asked about inviting the team to the White House. “We’ll look at that.”
Updated: Monday, 5:35 p.m.