Former USA footballer Megan Rapinoe has blamed Donald Trump for the men's team's World Cup exit, claiming the president's involvement threw them off their game and gave Belgium extra motivation. The co-hosts were eliminated with a 4-1 defeat in the round of 16 after Trump intervened in a disciplinary case involving forward Folarin Balogun.
Controversial red card and Trump's intervention
Balogun was shown a red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic during the USA's group-stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Monaco striker, formerly of Arsenal, was initially suspended for one match, set to miss the crucial tie against Belgium. However, FIFA suspended the ban for a year, a decision that left the Belgian Football Association 'astonished' and 'investigating potential options'.
It later emerged that Trump had spoken privately with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, encouraging the governing body to 'review' their initial call. FIFA subsequently dismissed Belgium's appeal, allowing Balogun to play. Despite this, the USA lost 4-1 to Belgium.
Rapinoe's criticism on The Daily Show
Speaking as a guest on The Daily Show, Rapinoe said Trump's intervention 'certainly did not' help the team. 'It didn't give them the boost, maybe, that they were thinking it would or that Trump was hoping that it would. It seemed like it kind of threw them off their game,' she said. 'They had such a good vibe. I feel like they had the underdog vibe going and then you-know-who got involved and everyone was like, "Nope! No, we don't like it!" And obviously Belgium was like, "No, we absolutely can't lose to this team now!"'
Belgium's motivation and comments
Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans confirmed the controversy motivated his team. 'Let's be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news. We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That's what we did today,' he said. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added that the team faced a 'lack of respect' before the match. 'People said they could easily beat us, but I think we've just proven today that we really are a good team.'
Belgium lost to Spain in the next round, with Mikel Merino scoring late to send La Roja to the semi-finals en route to winning the World Cup.
Rapinoe's broader criticism of Trump
Rapinoe joked that the USA women's team was accustomed to handling such pressure. 'We're like, "Bring it, bring it on!" We can handle that. They aren't getting asked about abortion bans in their press conferences. So this is like old hat to us.'
This is not the first time Rapinoe has criticized Trump. In March 2025, she described his executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sport as 'cruel and depraved'. In 2023, she said the fight for equal pay was her most cherished memory from her international career.
