Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is facing criticism from conservative commentators for wearing a Mexico national soccer team jersey while attending a World Cup watch party. Kelly, along with his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, shared photos on X (formerly Twitter) of themselves in Mexico kits during a viewing event in Tucson on Sunday.
"Lots of people out in Tucson to watch Mexico take on England. Tucson and La Rosa sure know how to do the World Cup," Kelly wrote in his post, which included several images of the event. The post drew immediate backlash from various conservative figures.
Clay Travis, founder of Outkick and a Fox News contributor, responded, "Surprised you weren’t wearing an Iran jersey, senator." Conservative commentator Steve Cortes called Kelly a "loser," noting the "o*stensibly American senator" wearing a foreign jersey while the U.S. team was also competing in the tournament.
The MAGA-aligned social media account @catturd2 labeled Kelly a "Traitor," while commentator @GuntherEagleman stated, "Mark Kelly is a DISGRACE to America." CNN analyst Scott Jennings commented, "Modern Democratic Party: wear another country’s jersey and post a photo of yourself taking a photo of yourself."
An AI-generated meme circulated on X, depicting England captain Harry Kane in an ICE uniform, with a caption that read, "Hope he enjoyed watching Mexico get deported from the World Cup," referencing Kelly's jersey choice. The user who posted the meme criticized Kelly directly.
Mexico ultimately lost its match against England with a score of 3-2. England has advanced to the next round of the tournament, while the U.S. was scheduled to play Belgium in its round-of-16 game on Monday.
Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain, has been subject to scrutiny over his patriotism in recent months. This included his involvement in a video with a group of lawmakers who advised military members not to follow what they described as potentially "illegal orders" from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials.
Other politicians have also been noted for wearing jerseys of teams other than the United States during the World Cup. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, reportedly wore custom "New York City" jerseys to games earlier in the tournament. The Daily Mail reached out to Kelly's office for comment on the reaction but did not receive a response.