US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino speak at a reception at Trump Tower in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo)
US President Donald Trump said FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the right decision to stop the red card received by American striker Folarin Balogun before the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium in the FIFA World Cup, a match the Americans eventually lost 4-1.Trump made the comments during a reception at Trump Tower ahead of the FIFA Council meeting on Friday, two days before the World Cup final on Sunday.Trump and Infantino walked on stage while Lee Greenwood’s Bless the USA played through the speakers. The two stood on stage for more than two minutes until the song ended before they began their speech.They both talked about the success of the tournament, and highlighted the attendance and television viewership.
Infantino thanked Trump for his support in hosting the event.“It has presented the greatest human social and cultural event that humanity has ever witnessed,” Infantino said.During his speech, Trump once again referred to what he described as the “stolen” 2020 US presidential elections, after his televised speech in which he made unverified allegations that China interfered in the elections.“I said, you know, I wasn’t supposed to be here right now. I was supposed to be president for eight years,” Trump said, indicating that if he had won the 2020 election, he would have left office before the 2026 World Cup.
“The polls showed it. Everyone showed it. They rigged the election. And what did I get? I got the World Cup. I got the Olympics. And I brought them here.”Trump then turned his attention to the US men’s national team and Balogun’s disciplinary case.“You had some memorable moments, probably the most memorable moment was when they introduced that guy [a red card]Trump said.“And I had to call Gianni and just make a recommendation.
I said, Gianni, I would like to make a recommendation. Let the man in the game. No, I didn’t say that. I said: I want to file a complaint. In fact, I had no idea what was going to happen.”Balogun’s one-match suspension was lifted before the Belgium match, allowing him to play, although the United States was eliminated after a 4-1 defeat.Trump said the result removed any debate about whether the comment affected the outcome.“You know, it’s much better… because there’s no controversy,” he said.“They won the game, and our team had all his players. Think about it, if he hadn’t let him do that, they would have said: ‘We would have won the game if we had our best players.’” So Gianni made another of his many good decisions.At the end of the event, Trump said he would like the United States to host the FIFA World Cup again in the future.“This time we will leave Mexico and Canada out,” he said, sparking laughter from those attending the reception.
