Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) loves to play the patriot. He’ll tell anyone who sits still long enough about his Navy service and his trips to space. But on Sunday, while the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) fought for its World Cup life in the round of 16, Kelly showed up to a watch party in Tucson wearing a Mexico jersey.
He didn’t hide it, either.
Kelly posted a photo on X showing himself and his wife, former Democrat congresswoman Gabby Giffords, both decked out in Mexican green.
“Lots of people out in Tucson to watch Mexico take on England,” Kelly wrote. “Tucson and La Rosa sure know how to do the World Cup!”
Lots of people out in Tucson to watch Mexico take on England. Tucson and La Rosa sure know how to do the World Cup! pic.twitter.com/XFqZLXC7Xv
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) July 6, 2026
The United States is still in this tournament.
Think about that for a second. A sitting U.S. senator put on a foreign country’s jersey and publicly cheered for that country while his own nation competes for a World Cup title. And this is the same Mark Kelly who encouraged U.S. troops to resist orders from President Trump, their commander in chief. Rooting against America seems to be a habit for this guy.
The backlash came fast.
OutKick founder and Fox News analyst Clay Travis questioned Kelly’s loyalty to the team.
What do we think about US politicians putting on jerseys from another country — in a tournament the US is playing in — and rooting for the foreign country in public? Zero percent chance any American sports fans I know would do this. https://t.co/MqOIF6ieK7
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 6, 2026
“What do we think about US politicians putting on jerseys from another country — in a tournament the US is playing in — and rooting for the foreign country in public?” Travis wrote. “Zero percent chance any American sports fans I know would do this.”
Travis also noted that “Kelly has not posted himself from this account in an American jersey for any game of the World Cup so far. Just Mexico.”
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For what it’s worth, Kelly’s adopted team lost. Mexico trailed England by two goals before England defender Jarell Quansah picked up a red card and briefly let Mexico back into the match, but England held on to win 3-2 and sent Mexico packing.
So Kelly torched whatever remained of his credibility for a team that didn’t even survive the weekend.
Sadly, Kelly’s jersey stunt reflects something much bigger than one senator’s bad judgment.
The left has spent years teaching Americans to be ashamed of their own country, and the numbers show the lesson took. A June survey of American adults by the betting site Freebets found that 36% of Americans want a foreign team to beat the USMNT at this World Cup. Among Gen Z, that number jumps to 49%, making it the only generation where more people back a foreign team than back the United States. Support for a foreign team runs at 42% among millennials, 31% among Gen X, and 26% among boomers, less than half the Gen Z rate.
Make no mistake about it, Kelly knew exactly what he was doing. A politician who builds his entire brand on service, sacrifice, and patriotism understands what it means to wear another country’s colors while his own is still competing.
He just didn’t care.
Knowing Kelly, he will keep lecturing the rest of us about patriotism, duty, and honor. But patriotism takes more than a résumé. If Mark Kelly can’t even bring himself to root for his own country in a soccer match, why would anyone trust him to fight for it in the Senate?
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