US Women's football co-captain Megan Rapinoe has made no moves to take over the White House, but that hasn't stopped punters from putting their support behind the World Cup champ.
A US polling firm, responding to "popular demand", announced on Tuesday that in the case of a Rapinoe-Trump presidential race, the 34-year-old football star would come out on top.
According to Public Policy Polling (PPP), Rapinoe received 42 per cent of the vote to the president's 41 per cent. PPP added that this number was familiar territory for Mr Trump, who, in previous polls conducted by the company, stayed within the 40-42 per cent range.
US football star Megan Rapinoe addresses the crowd in New York on Thursday. Source: Getty Images
"Rapinoe may be an unlikely presidential candidate but her numbers still speak to a broader truth about Trump’s standing," PPP said.
"The fact that he [Mr Trump] polls in the low 40s against any Democrat he gets tested against shows that elect ability concerns are overrated and Democrats should feel comfortable voting for the candidates they like the best, not just the ones they think have the best chance of beating Trump."
Addressing crowds during a victory parade in New York on Thursday, Rapinoe cheekily referred to the polls but made clear she had no plans to enter the 2020 race.
"There's no other place I would rather be. Even in a presidential race. I'm busy, I'm sorry," she said.
According to Public Policy Polling, Donald Trump is consistently polling at 40-42 per cent. Source: AAP
Rapinoe hit headlines after a passionate campaign for equal pay and a public spat with the president after she said the team would not visit the White House if victorious in the World Cup.
Following the team's victory against The Netherlands on Monday, Rapinoe reiterated the stance she took during the Women's World Cup and said they did not want to go to the White House.
"We don’t want to go to the White House, so I figure that’s why the invitation hasn’t come,” she told reporters.
Mr Trump had previously addressed Rapinoe's comments on Twitter, calling on the player to "WIN first before she TALKS!".
In their results, PPP suggested that Rapinoe could even increase her lead over Mr Trump, explaining that many of the voters who were undecided between the two had voted for Hillary Clinton, with just 8 per cent of them stating they approve of the job Mr Trump is doing.
The accuracy of political polling has come under fire in recent years, particularly after it massively failed to predict the results of the Brexit referendum in 2016 and Mr Trump's presidential victory in the US.
In May's federal election, nearly all Newspoll, YouGov/Galaxy, Ipsos and ReachTEL polls failed to predict the Coalition's shock victory leading to investigations into their practices.
