World Cup star Rapinoe not shutting door on presidential run

Los Angeles, May 20, 2020 (AFP) - Women's World Cup star Megan Rapinoe, long an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, says she wouldn't rule out running for America's highest office herself one day.

In excerpts from an interview with Vice TV that were released on Tuesday, Rapinoe branded Trump a "white nationalist" and said she didn't think his policies had helped Americans.

"Now, obviously, we have a white nationalist - I think - in the White House and the spewing of hate and the 'othering' of the rest of the country has only led to more rift between people and more despair and more anxiety and more fear going forward," Rapinoe said. "There's been no sort of path forward."

Rapinoe, who starred in the United States' 2019 World Cup triumph, said inclusion - of racial minorities and women - is key to progress.

She has been a vocal advocate for women's and LGBTQ rights and has joined in the demonstrations of kneeling for the U.S. national anthem to protest racial inequality.

Asked if she would consider running for office herself, Rapinoe admitted it would be a departure.

"I'm not totally shutting the door, but it seems wild," she said.

She said her dream job would be "President, of course.

"If I'm going to do it, I want the biggest, baddest post," she said with a laugh, although she added she would "pick everyone else who's way smarter and way more qualified and way better at everything to actually do the thing.

"I'm not here being like 'I'm the smartest, I should be the president,'" she said. "I'm actually, like, 'I'm wholly unqualified for probably any position in government', but I've got that little bit of humility where I can be, like, 'You're smarter, you do this, you do this, you do this.'"