Christian Pulisic joins 'Trump dance' celebration craze but USA star insists 'it wasn't political'

Christian Pulisic is the latest US sports star to imitate the Donald Trump dance - and says it was "not political" when quizzed.

The AC Milan winger copied the president-elect's renowned campaign-trail shimmy after scoring the opening goal for the USA in their 4-2 win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter final on Monday. The ex-Chelsea man celebrated by doing what is now known as the 'Trump Dance', but insisted his motivation wasn't political and he'd seen UFC star Jon Jones do so over the weekend.

He said: "I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it, and we were just having a bit of fun. I thought it was a pretty fun dance. Obviously, that's the 'Trump Dance' but it was just a dance that everyone was doing. He's the one who created it, and I thought it was funny. It's not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it."

It is just the latest in a series of Trump-inspired celebrations that US athletes have been showcasing during pivotal moments in recent games. MMA fighter Jon Jones was the first high-profile athlete across the pond to kick-start the craze over the weekend at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden, New York.

With Trump himself in attendance, alongside Robert Kennedy Jr and Mike Johnson, Jones performed the dance during his post-fight celebrations before leaping out the octagon and handing his belt to Trump. The win over Stipe Miocic extended Jones' professional MMA record to 28 wins (11 KOs and 7 Subs) against one defeat via disqualification.

In the NFL, Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew in the third quarter, bringing Vegas back into the game