Trump dodges question about whether women's national soccer team should be paid the same as the men

Mallory Pugh, right, and Megan Rapinoe, left, of Team USA.
(Image credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

President Trump on Wednesday celebrated the U.S. women's national soccer team's "big win" but dodged a question about whether they should be paid the same as the men.

NBC News' Peter Alexander asked Trump about the team's historic victory against Thailand at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Tuesday, and the president celebrated it. But in response to a question about whether they should get paid the same as the men, Trump didn't offer a yes or no answer, reportedly responding, "We'll talk about that later."

Tuesday's win came after all 28 members of the women's soccer team in March filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation alleging "institutionalized gender discrimination." After the World Cup win, 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted, "Here's an idea: If you win 13-0 — the most goals for a single game in World Cup history — you should be paid at least equally to the men's team." And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) raised the issue on the Senate floor on Tuesday, HuffPost reports, saying, "These women, who inspire our country with their poise, tenacity, skill and excellence every time they take the field deserve to be fairly compensated."

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And it's not just Democrats saying as much, as when White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked Wednesday whether the women's team should be paid the same as the men, CNBC's Eamon Javers reports she responded, "I believe as a general principle that equal pay for equal work is the way to go." Whether Trump agrees with his counselor on this is a question that for now remains unanswered.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.