US skipper ’embarrassed’ by Trump travel ban

The captain of the United States soccer team Michael Bradley has hit out at the travel restrictions imposed by Donald Trump’s White House, saying the move left him feeling “sad and embarrassed.”

The US President’s executive order, signed Friday, suspends the arrival of refugees for at least 120 days and bars visas for travelers from seven Muslim majority countries for the next three months.

Trump’s move has stoked a furious backlash in the United States, with mass protests breaking out at several major airports, including Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas.

Bradley, who is due to lead the USA against Serbia in a friendly in San Diego later Sunday, took to Instagram late Saturday to elaborate on earlier comments about the issue he had made to Sports Illustrated journalist Grant Wahl.

“I gave an answer where I tried to make it clear that while I understand the need for safety, the values and ideals of our country should never be sacrificed,” Bradley said.

“I believe what I said, but it was too soft. The part I left out is how sad and embarrassed I am.

“When Trump was elected, I only hoped that the President Trump would be different than the campaigner Trump.

“That the xenophobic, misogynistic and narcissistic rhetoric would be replaced with a more humble and measured approach to leading our country.

“I was wrong. And the Muslim ban is just the latest example of someone who couldn’t be more out of touch with our country and the right way to move forward.”

The US travel furore comes with Los Angeles entering the home straight in its bid to be awarded the 2024 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee will decide the 2024 hosts at a meeting in Lima in September with Paris and Budapest also in the running.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a prominent figure in the LA 2024 bid, has condemned the Trump travel restrictions, saying in a statement on Friday the measures “unfairly target refugees … whose lives may depend on the compassion and generosity of the United States.”

In a further statement on Saturday, Garcetti added that history showed attempts to ban immigrants by nationality were doomed to failure.

“We have long known that it does not make us safer,” Garcetti said. “It only fans the flames of hatred that those who wish us harm seek to spread.”