Christian Pulisic, the United States forward, clarified that his celebration of a goal against Jamaica with the viral Donald Trump dance was not politically motivated.
Pulisic scored twice in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final, helping his team to a 4-2 victory over Jamaica.
After beating the Jamaica goalkeeper to a cross, Pulisic imitated the dance moves associated with President-elect Donald Trump, sparking a mixed reaction on social media.
Pulisic explained that he found the dance amusing and had seen other sports stars, including NFL players and UFC fighter Jon Jones, perform it as well. He emphasized that it was meant to be lighthearted and not a political statement.
When asked about the dance, Pulisic stated, “Well obviously that’s the Trump dance. It was just a dance that everyone’s doing. I just thought it was funny. I saw everyone doing it in the NFL, I saw [UFC fighter] Jon Jones do it.”
He added, “It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and I thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it. I hope some people did, at least.”
The dance even made its way to England’s League One, as Barnsley players used it to celebrate a goal in their recent match against Rotherham United.