Live updates: Trump called FIFA chief over USA player's red card; Johnson warns of more 'Mamdanis'
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
A president picking up the phone to lobby FIFA over a red card sounds like a punchline until you remember the World Cup is coming to American soil next summer and every call like this gets read as a signal, not a favor. Trump wanted the suspension gone, called it an "injustice," and got his wish when the panel reversed it. Maybe the panel was right on the merits.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss the red card given to Team USA's Folarin Balogun during Wednesday night's game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, an person familiar with the conversation told The Hill.
Trump later cheered the reversal, calling it an "injustice." FIFA said its independent panel overturned the red card suspension for
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
A president picking up the phone to lobby FIFA over a red card sounds like a punchline until you remember the World Cup is coming to American soil next summer and every call like this gets read as a signal, not a favor. Trump wanted the suspension gone, called it an "injustice," and got his wish when the panel reversed it. Maybe the panel was right on the merits. Referees blow calls constantly. But a head of state personally dialing up a sports federation chief over a single card is the kind of thing that would draw howls if any other country's leader did it.
Still, there's something almost refreshing about a president who'll spend political capital defending an American soccer player instead of only weighing in on the usual grievances. It's a small thing, but it fits a pattern of Trump treating "Team USA" as personal business.
As for Johnson's warning about "more Mamdanis," that's the real story underneath the noise. Local elections keep producing candidates who run hard left and win in places Democrats used to think were safe bets. Republicans should take the warning seriously instead of laughing it off as one city's fluke.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.