The USMNT’s departure from the 2026 World Cup occurred over a week ago, but the controversy surrounding FIFA’s decision to suspend striker Folarin Balogun’s red card continues to dominate headlines. The issue resurfaced on Friday when President Donald Trump seemed to distance himself from the aftermath of his phone call with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which reportedly allowed Balogun to participate in the Round of 16 match against Belgium.

During a FIFA reception at Trump Tower, Trump commented alongside Infantino, stating he had no foresight about the call’s outcome and credited Infantino for Balogun’s participation:

“This has been a tournament like no other, filled with fierce competition, unforgettable moments. Probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman — is it a red card? 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.’ I had no idea what was going to happen.

“But, you know, so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy. They won the game and our team had all of its players. [Infantino] made another great decision if you think about it. You’ll never get credit for that.”

Ultimately, the USMNT lost to Belgium 4-1, and reports indicate that the red card suspension decision was made solely by FIFA disciplinary chair Mohammad al-Kamali, without input from the other 17 members of the committee.

Trump’s comments extended to various aspects of the World Cup, including England’s controversial defensive strategy after leading 1-0 against Argentina in the semifinal. He criticized England manager Thomas Tuchel for repositioning captain Harry Kane, who Trump played golf with prior to the match, as a defensive player:

“You have a great player in England, who I played golf with. You know that, right? He is Harry, who’s been fantastic. I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player.

“What do I know about soccer? They took the lead and they took their best player, and they put him on defense. Then somehow… We got to be a little offensive, right? But no, I’m not gonna call it. Look, what do I know about coaching? I thought that was a little unusual, but Harry is a great guy actually.”

Looking to the future, Trump highlighted the impressive ratings and attendance figures FIFA has experienced in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, noting that this tournament broke the World Cup record for total attendance even before the knockout stages began.

Trump expressed interest in the U.S. hosting the World Cup again, recalling an alleged discussion with Infantino and other FIFA officials where he advocated for the U.S. to host the 2034 World Cup exclusively. Infantino reportedly suggested the possibility of a joint bid with China:

“I say what we should do is, you should choose the United States of America again. This time we’ll leave Canada and Mexico out, but then what you do is you — I was very nice to get them in — but what you do is, you choose us but you pick somebody else for the next one, and that will take some of the anger, hatred and steam out of everyone.

“Gianni also had another idea. He said we could do it, China and the United States for next time. We could do it China and the United States, so you have a nice short flight in between games. The players would love that.”

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, a decision made nearly three years ago. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, a decision announced a year and a half ago.