U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas‘ flagrant-2 foul on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark on Monday, July 6.
Trump was addressing the media and was asked about his intervention on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was reversed, allowing him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
During Trump’s answer about why Balogun should not have received a red card, he alluded to the Thomas-Clark play — which took place on June 24.”I thought your young, wonderful basketball player — Caitlin (Clark) — I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event.”
The foul was missed in real time but Thomas received the flagrant 2, a one-game suspension and a fine after the WNBA reviewed the play. In a statement, the WNBA said Thomas “recklessly” made contact with Clark and “committed a non-basketball act” in the Mercury’s 111-109 victory over the Fever.Clark said on July 3 she was ready for the discourse around the foul to be over, suggesting lingering on it was a disservice to the rest of the league.
“There’s so much amazing talent, and there’s so many amazing players that are playing at an incredibly high rate,” Clark said. “… I think it’s all of our jobs to help refocus the narratives.
“We can do better at that, and I think it’ll help our great game grow a lot more.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Donald Trump weighs in on Caitlin Clark being fouled by Alyssa Thomas
