More athletes had the unhappy experience of being forced to go to the White House with current occupant President Donald Trump against their own wishes today. The U.S. Men’s Soccer team is about to start the FIFA World Cup, hosted by North America (Yes, that includes Mexico and still-independent Canada), and that occasioned the drive-by that managed to last too long for one Tim Weah of the American team.
Our report comes from pals over at Rawstory:
U.S. Men’s National Team player Tim Weah didn’t mince words about the bizarre experience: “I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it’s kind of like, I just want to play football, man!”
The 25-year-old soccer star revealed that players weren’t even given a choice about attending. “They told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,” Weah told The Athletic after his team’s FIFA Club World Cup game.
Yeah. It makes one wish that Trump would ask some more people about a possible war with Iran. It is absolutely bizarre that the U.S. president is casually chatting up White House guests about a possible war, as if asking about whether he should order the Taco special or the combination plate. Actually, Trump might give the Mexican food more worthy consideration, then order both. As it is, we just have to wait some time in “the next two weeks,” according to the White House, regarding whether this country starts to kill innocent civilians all in the name of protecting a nation that was the first to attack. Meanwhile, we have to feel sorry for the soccer team, caught flat-footed while standing there.
But Trump wasn’t done. As if this country didn’t have a big enough issue with transgender sports, Trump tried to weigh in on that:
“Could a woman make your team, fellas? Tell me, what do you think?” Trump demanded of the visibly uncomfortable players. When a couple seemed to shrug and say yes, Trump dismissed them: “You’re being nice.”
Or they just have no flying fcks to give whether or not a woman could make their team given the U.S. has its own women’s team that lines up asses to kick in every championship. One of the two.
The soccer visit devolved further as Trump launched into tangents about Iran, Ukraine, and bizarrely, the Civil War—while confusing it with the Revolutionary War. Staring at the Declaration of Independence, Trump mused: “I wonder if the Civil War—it always seemed to me that could have been solved without losing 600,000-plus people.”
Please, in the name of the Lord God above, do not ask me what the U.S. National team had to contribute to a discussion on the Civil War. It was – after all – in the hands of the greatest president this nation ever had. It is not like anyone even asked Trump what he might have done. War with Iran? Yes. War to free slaves? Too high a price to pay – I guess. Pffft.
Weah’s post-game comments captured the absurdity: “I guess it was a cool experience being in the White House. But I’m not one for the politics, so it wasn’t that exciting.”
See? But that’s the thing. One isn’t supposed to be all that excited about politics in order to enjoy the White House. It is only when the President starts asking about going to war with various countries or states that it begins to get “not very exciting” – rather excruciating, one might expect.
So basically, no celebrated team or celebrity is safe now from an otherwise innocuous White House visit. One best brush up on all things not related to the purpose of your visit, and especially on the relative merits of Middle Eastern nations’ air defense capability.
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