Donald Trump credited Fifa president Gianni Infantino for the decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ahead of his team’s crucial last-16 game against Belgium, which the US eventually lost 4-1.
Trump and Infantino were sharing the stage at a reception in the atrium of Trump Tower ahead of a meeting of the Fifa Council on the Friday before Sunday’s World Cup final. The pair entered a stage as Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA played over the loudspeakers, standing at the dais for two minutes and 15 seconds to wait for the entire song to finish before Infantino made his remarks, before then throwing to Trump.
Both men recited a list of accomplishments of the World Cup, including high attendances and eye-popping TV numbers. Infantino thanked Trump for putting on “the greatest human social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed”.
In his remarks, Trump continued on the theme of what he considered to be the “stolen” 2020 election, following his primetime TV address on Thursday in which he made unverified claims that China had been “meddling” in the election.
“I said, you know, I was supposed to not be here right now. I was supposed to be president for eight years,” Trump said, referencing the fact that, had he won the 2020 election, he would have been out of office by the time the 2026 World Cup began. “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.”
In speaking about the popularity of the event, Trump got to discussing the performance of the US men’s national team.
“You had unforgettable moments, like probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman [a red card],” Trump said. “And I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation. I said, Gianni, I’d like to make a recommendation. Let the guy in the game. No, I didn’t say that. I said, I’d like to wage a complaint. And actually, I had no idea what was going to happen.”
Trump seemed satisfied with how things worked out.
“You know, it’s so much better … because there’s no controversy,” he said. “They won the game, and our team had all of its players. Think of it, if he didn’t allow him, they’d say: ‘We would have won the game if we had our best players.’ So Gianni made yet another of his many good decisions.”
Later, Trump indicated that he’d like the US to host another World Cup, but “this time we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out”, a remark which drew laughter from the assembled dignitaries.
