WATCH: Megan Rapinoe: Trump Trying To ‘Divide So He Can Conquer’

In an interview with Chuck Todd of NBC’s "Meet The Press," U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe claimed that the team had “managed to make people proud again,” adding that President Trump is trying to “divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer.”

Todd began the exchange by noting, “A long-time boxing reporter who’s now a baseball announcer, Charlie Steiner, said to me he viewed you as a modern-day Ali, and here’s what Sports Illustrated wrote: 'There are elements of a modern-day Ali in Rapinoe’s commingling of sports and social activism, to say nothing of her ability to turn the media’s attention — even when negative, in certain circles — to her advantage.' What do you make of the Ali comparisons?"

Rapinoe answered, “That’s very flattering; I don’t know if I’m Ali, but I’m happy to be the biggest ally I can to Ali.”

Todd asked, “What opportunity do you see here? Do you see it’s like, ‘Okay, we got the attention. I am going to make these points; I am going to make these — I am going to do this activism.’”

Rapinoe replied, “I think the opportunity is in everyone’s exhaustion of the fighting and the negative, and our team has managed to make people proud again, to capture people’s interest, and make them want to do something. I think people are asking the question, how can we rally around this team? And in that, what the team stands for, whether it’s equal pay or racial equality or LBGTQ rights, I think we’ve just managed to give people hope, and with that now we need to do the next step, which is to actually take the progress step.”

Todd then blamed corporations, saying they were “so slow to see this, have been so slow to fill the gap.” He continued, “I think the hardest conundrum that a lot of us are in in American politics, whether it’s those of us that care about these institutions in this town or otherwheres (sic) is that how do you preach unity and at the same time — you don’t want to be near President Trump and I get that, how do you do both?"

Rapinoe stated, “I’m figuring that out by the day. I think you inspire people.”

Todd asked, “What do you tell a Trump supporter who loves watching you, I mean, it’s like, ‘I wish you’d go to the White House.’”

Rapinoe then stated that equal pay for women should be mandated, asserting, "I think that I would try to share our message: ‘Do you believe that all people are created equal? Do you believe that equal pay should be mandated? Do you believe that everyone should have health care? Do you believe that we should treat everyone with respect?’ I think those are the basics of what we’re talking about.”

Rapinoe, who had previously stated that she would only speak to politicians who agreed with her political viewpoint, continued, “And I understand people feel upset or uncomfortable, there’s I think some feelings of disrespect about the anthem protests or things that I’ve said in the past, but ultimately I think I am here, open and honest, I’ve admitted mistakes, I will continue to do that, I will continue to be vulnerable and be honest and be open and want to have that conversation because I think Trump’s message excludes people that look like me and that are me, of course, but it excludes a lot of people in his base as well, and I think that he’s trying to divide so he can conquer, not unite so we can all conquer.”

After asking Rapinoe whether she’d consider running for office, and her answering, “I’m not sure I’m qualified for office," Todd snarked, “There’s no qualifications for office these days.” Rapinoe replied, “Yes, that’s true. Up until 44, (Barack Obama) yes, there was.”

Video below: