Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino appeared together at a reception in Trump Tower on Friday, where Trump praised Infantino for his decision to suspend a red card for US striker Folarin Balogun and repeated false claims about the 2020 election being rigged.
Trump credits Infantino for Balogun decision
Trump said he had called Infantino to recommend overturning Balogun's red card ahead of the US men's national team's last-16 match against Belgium, which the US lost 4-1. "I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation," Trump said. "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." Trump added that Infantino's decision avoided controversy: "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.'"
Trump repeats election falsehoods
In his remarks, Trump returned to his baseless claims about the 2020 election, saying, "I said, you know, I was supposed to not be here right now. I was supposed to be president for eight years. The polls showed it. Everyone showed it. They rigged the election." He then pivoted to his role in bringing the World Cup and Olympics to the US: "And what did I get? I got the World Cup. I got the Olympics. And I brought them here."
World Cup accomplishments highlighted
Both Trump and Infantino listed achievements of the tournament, including high attendances and strong TV ratings. Infantino thanked Trump for hosting "the greatest human social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed." The pair entered the stage to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and stood for two minutes and 15 seconds as the song played before Infantino spoke.
Trump jokes about future World Cup
Later, Trump suggested the US should host another World Cup, but "this time we'll leave Mexico and Canada out," drawing laughter from the audience. The World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday at 3pm ET.
