Donald Trump is not backing away from the World Cup phone call that helped turn Folarin Balogun’s red card into an international uproar.
Standing beside FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York City on Friday, Trump defended the decision to let the USA striker play against Belgium after the White House and US Soccer pushed back on his automatic one-game suspension.
“You made another great decision,” Trump told Infantino. “It was so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy: [Belgium] won the game and our team had all of its players.”
The president’s defense was simple. Belgium won anyway, so nobody could claim the ruling changed the result.
“You’ll never get credit for it. Think if he didn’t allow [Balogun to play] and they lost,” Trump continued.
“They’d say: “We would have the won the game if we had our best player!””
The controversy outlasted Team USA’s tournament, even after Belgium ended the Americans’ run with a 4-1 elimination.
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The punishment would have kept the 25-year-old striker out of the last-16 match because of the red card he received in the United States’ win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Once US Soccer and the White House pressed the issue, FIFA’s decision to pause the one-game suspension became a political story as much as a soccer one.
For Infantino, the problem was not the final score. It was the accusation that FIFA had opened the door to White House influence.
The FIFA president’s defense rested on process, which he described as handled by “independent” bodies acting “autonomously.”
Trump did not downplay the call. He turned it into a story, describing Balogun’s red card as “probably the most unforgettable” moment of the World Cup and admitting he had “no idea” whether his intervention would work.
“They gave that gentleman, is it a red card? And I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation,” Trump said.
Then he mocked the idea that he had simply ordered FIFA to let Balogun play.
“I said: “Gianni, I’d like to make a recommendation: Let the guy in the game!” Trump joked.
“No I didn’t say that,” he added. “I said: “I’d like to wage a complaint” and actually I had no idea what was going to happen.”
Balogun later admitted the reversal was not something the team could simply ignore.
Folarin Balogun tells CBS Mornings what was going through his mind when he received a red card at the U.S. men’s #WorldCup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina: “I was definitely in shock.”
He said he was “happy to be back on the team” after President Trump spoke to FIFA… pic.twitter.com/zY6Y46Tmjc
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 14, 2026
“My initial reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team. But when I started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy,” he commented to CBS Mornings.
The awkwardness, he suggested, was visible inside the team. “And I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that is so unique,” he remarked.
“But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could but it was difficult – a lot of outside noise and that’s hard to avoid.”
Balogun also said the sudden shift made his role in training feel strange.
“It was confusing because the team was practicing without me in the team, I’m almost just playing a supporting role to keep morale high.”
Trump’s soccer commentary did not stop with Team USA. England’s Harry Kane became his next target of sympathy, with the president praising him personally while taking aim at England’s tactics after its World Cup elimination.
“You have a great player in England, who I played golf with – Harry, who’s been fantastic,” Trump praised. “I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player.”
Trump on Harry Kane:
I played golf with Harry Kane, and he is a great guy.
I think perhaps they made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. They took their best player and put him in defense.
That was a bit unusual. pic.twitter.com/yZTfFPqsx9
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 17, 2026
Infantino laughed beside Trump and sarcastically clapped as the president questioned Thomas Tuchel’s approach.
“What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him in defense,” Infantino shot back.
Trump kept going, while still insisting he was no coaching expert. “We have got to be a little offensive, right? But what do I know about coaching? It was unusual, but Harry is a great guy, actually,” the President continued.
Kane had already told reporters the Trump golf round happened in Florida 18 months earlier.
“I played alright to be honest, but 18 months ago he invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach,” he said ahead of England’s win over Norway.
“So when the President invites you somewhere, it was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him.”
Harry Kane confirms he played golf with Donald Trump: "We played about 18 months ago. He invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach. It was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and play golf with him"pic.twitter.com/LPBClmqvGi
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 11, 2026
Kane also praised Trump’s game. “His golf is pretty good, to be honest with you. I hope I can play golf as good as him when I’m his age, that’s for sure. A unique experience, but I was just grateful that he invited me to play,” he added.
The next World Cup headache is hanging over MetLife Stadium, where Spain and Argentina are still scheduled to meet Sunday despite smoke concerns around the New York City area.
FIFA has no plans to move the final, according to reports, even with dangerous smoke from Canadian wildfires leaving a haze over New York City.
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: Canada will now face US SANCTIONS legislation from Sen. Bernie Moreno going after any officials responsible for the wildfires — wreaking havoc on Americans' health in multiple states
"Air quality alerts in 20 states"
Minneapolis is now among the worst in the… pic.twitter.com/6yPKuD8aAk
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 17, 2026
Thursday’s air in New Jersey was already bad enough to register as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” with heat and “terrible” air quality adding another concern before the 3 p.m. kickoff at the 80,000-seat open-air stadium.
Bloomberg put the White House task force inside those conversations, reporting that Andrew Giuliani and FIFA had discussed the wildfires even though no formal meeting was planned on moving the final.
Other leagues had already adjusted around the smoke before the final. The Chicago Fire-Vancouver Whitecaps MLS match was postponed, the Mets-Phillies game was moved up an hour, and Cleveland’s Friday night Pirates-Guardians matchup was also called off because of poor air quality.
“We want to be safe for our players. We want to make sure that it’s not too smoky and obviously for the fans as well. It’s just not safe to be out in that environment if it’s not playable,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt commented.
“We can’t control the weather. We can’t control mother nature. So we got to do what’s best and what’s smart for both teams and for the fans.”