Out Soccer Champ Megan Rapinoe to Biden: 'I'll Be Your VP!'
Out athlete and equality advocate Megan Rapnioe scored a thrilling goal in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, helping the American team secure a victory over the Netherlands with a final score of 2-0.
Now Rapinoe has - jokingly, at least - thrown her name into the hat for another historic goal: That of first female Vice President of the United States.
A news item carried by the New York Times reports that Rapinoe was conversing with the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden when she made the offer to help Biden fulfill his promise to select a woman as his running mate.
"I don't want to put you on the spot," the story quoted Rapinoe as saying. " I think I could still play soccer and do this. But if you need a vice president, I'm just saying I'm available for an interview. We can talk logistics and the details.
"Put it on your list," Rapinoe added. "No pressure."
Biden's response: "You would have to take a pay cut to become vice president."
Rapinoe fired back, "Yeah, no, I'm not into that."
Yahoo News reported that the Instagram conversation between Rapinoe and the Bidens was "an effort to rally support for the presumptive nominee as the Democratic party looks to unite a divided base to defeat President Donald Trump in November's election."
Text that appeared at the Instagram post along with the video stated:
"Talked to Vice President @joebiden and @drbiden about all things Covid, campaigning during these times, bringing the Democrats together and how understanding we are all together will win the Presidency in November."
The conversation took place before Biden publicly addressed sexual assault allegations leveled at him by a former staffer, Tara Reade, who claims that in 1993 Biden, then a senator, forcibly assaulted her by penetrating her with his fingers.
Perhaps predictably, the post's comments were flooded with references to the unsubstantiated accusations.
Posted one commenter: "Was hopeful you'd use your remarkable platform & influence to #BelieveSurvivors and role model solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. Like you & Biden said, 'We all fight for each other.' It's a nice sentiment and yet actions speak louder than words."
Posted another: "Disappointed that you did not address his sexual assault allegations. Rape is rape, there is no lesser evil."
Commenters did not mention the fact that the current president, Donald Trump, stands accused of sexual assault by no less than 25 women.
Also overlooked in the comments were Trump's own comments, recorded in 2005 and publicized the month before the 2016 elections, in which the then-candidate could be heard boastfully claiming that being a celebrity intimidates women and makes them targets for sexual assault.
The recording was made prior to an appearance by Trump on Access Hollywood. While chatting with host Billy Bush, Trump said, "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
Biden addressed the allegations in a statement and in media appearances on May 1. In his statement, which was published at Medium, Biden noted, "We have lived long enough with a president who doesn't think he is accountable to anyone, and takes responsibility for nothing," reported The New York Times.
"That's not me," Biden's statement went on to add. "I believe being accountable means having the difficult conversations, even when they are uncomfortable. People need to hear the truth."
In the same statement, Biden said that women who come forward with assault allegations "should be heard, not silenced," but defended himself from Reade's claims, pointing to "the full and growing record of inconsistencies in her story, which has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways."
Zeroing in on Reade's claim to have filed a complaint in 1993, Biden issued a call for any such claim to be brought to light.
"I am requesting that the Secretary of the Senate ask the Archives to identify any record of the complaint she alleges she filed and make available to the press any such document. If there was ever any such complaint, the record will be there."
Medium had already investigated Reade's claims in an article posted March 30, and concluded that the available evidence "casts doubt" on those claims. Medium noted that Reade has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin - whose government has been accused of meddling in the 2016 elections through social media-based disinformation campaigns - and, in an update, claimed to have spoken with a former employer of Reade's, who reportedly told the outlet that Reade "stole from her non-profit animal rescue while she was a volunteer at the organization."
Biden also appeared on MSNBC's news program "Morning Joe," where he responded to Reade's allegations on camera.
Answering the direct question from host Mika Brzezinski, "Did you sexually assault Tara Reade?" Biden replied:
"No. It is not true. I am saying unequivocally: It never, never happened. and it didn't. It never happened."
Brzezinski took note of the fact that a new York Times investigation found no evidence to corroborate Reade's claims, but also went on to ask Biden about his comments when Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination was roiled by sexual assault claims. Referring to Biden's words at that time, Brzezinski asked, "should we not start off with the presumption that the essence of what she's talking about is real?"
Biden answered that "believing women means taking the woman's claim seriously when she steps forward." However, Biden added, an accuser's claims must be "vetted," and not simply taken at face value.
Watch the "Morning Joe" interview below.