Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) drew ire on Sunday for a post about U.S. national women’s soccer team legend Alex Morgan.
Critics thought the post on X (formerly Twitter) wasn’t actually about the athlete at all and instead was a “coded” message about President Joe Biden amid calls he quit his 2024 campaign.
Nessel quote-posted Morgan when she wrote in June that she was “disappointed” not to have made the American team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I adore Alex Morgan. One of the greatest of all time,” Nessel wrote. “But she’s aged significantly from her prime playing days & gracefully accepted that in order to win the gold it was time to pass the baton.”
In a second post, Nessel wrote: “No one will ever forget her incredible accomplishments, but Alex just wants what’s best for the team and for America. That’s what makes her a true champion.”
Commenters suggested Nessel was not so subtly calling on Biden to ditch his campaign, echoing multiple high-profile Democrats who have done the same following his disastrous debate performance against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Others pointed out how Morgan was left out of the U.S. squad while Biden had won the Democratic nomination, meaning Nessel’s comments didn’t really land.