Former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany faced a sharp rebuke from Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade after praising the U.S. men's national soccer team's "patriotism" following their World Cup exit. Despite the team's 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16, McEnany stated her pride in the team's "patriotism, standing for the anthem, praying after every game," asserting that it "means more" to her than winning.
McEnany drew a comparison to the U.S. women's national team, specifically mentioning former co-captain Megan Rapinoe, whose team has been outspoken in its criticism of Donald Trump. "To me, look, people can crucify me on Twitter, that means more to me than winning. I'm very proud of this team despite the loss," McEnany said on Tuesday's broadcast.
Kilmeade immediately challenged her assessment, stating plainly, "They didn’t show up. They were absolutely awful. They did not show up." He proceeded to detail perceived failings of several U.S. players during the match. McEnany responded by reiterating her view that the players' displays of prayer and flag love were significant, to which Kilmeade replied, "There’s teams praying all over the country."