Christian Pulisic Praises USSF for ‘Not Reacting’ to Controversial Donald Trump Dance Celebration- “That’s How We Should Judge”

Sometimes, players become just as famous for their goal celebrations as for the goals themselves. Whether it’s Jesse Lingard’s signature dance moves for Manchester United or Dominic Solanke’s anime-inspired gestures. So, when Christian Pulisic performed the iconic ‘Trump dance’ during the USMNT’s match against Jamaica, netizens began to interpret it as a political statement, which the skipper denied. 

It all happened during the second-leg quarterfinal against Jamaica when Christian Pulisic broke the deadlock for his side. The AC Milan forward sprinted toward the corner flag and performed a dance move, which he later clarified was simply for fun. Weeks later, Pulisic expressed that he had no regrets about the celebration and praised the USSF for maintaining a neutral stance. 

When The Athletic asked if the federation had spoken to him about the incident, Captain America revealed that no contact had been made. “Honestly, no. There was no reaction at all from that side. I think they know me as a person. That’s how we should judge people.” said the skipper. 

Captain America also mentioned that it wasn’t meant to be any sort of statement and that he was simply following the trend. “Was I surprised by the response? In the way that the political climate is, especially in the U.S., maybe not. I’ll be honest, beforehand, I didn’t really think about it either.” said Pulisic, who is favorite to win the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. 

Agenda aside, during that match, Christian Pulisic became the fastest American to reach 50-goal contributions. He’s been in red-hot form for both club and country, but as the current face of U.S. Soccer, Pulisic is also raising his voice over an underlying issue troubling his countrymen. 

Christian Pulisic shares his take on bias in Europe shattering stereotypes 

Having represented top clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and now AC Milan, the 26-year-old believes American players are often overlooked, simply because the United States is not traditionally known as a soccer nation. Pulisic feels there is a prejudice that Americans are not good enough.

“We have players in the Champions League and some of the highest leagues in the world. It is not our biggest driver of wanting to prove them wrong. It’s just something that is out there.” says Pulisic. His form for the Rossoneri this season has been fantastic, racking up 8 goals and 5 assists this season. 

Having recently picked up a calf injury, both the head coaches of AC Milan and the USMNT will be hoping for a swift recovery, as the American has already been ruled out until the end of the year. We are likely to see plenty more dance moves from Christian Pulisic, especially in front of a home crowd during the 2026 World Cup.