Megan Rapinoe points finger at Donald Trump following USMNT's disastrous World Cup exit
Megan Rapinoe has reignited her long-running feud with Donald Trump, arguing that the President’s intervention in the Folarin Balogun red card controversy contributed to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s disappointing 4-1 loss to Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
Balogun was shown a red card during the USMNT’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, triggering an automatic one-game suspension that would have ruled him out of the Belgium game.
Behind the scenes, Trump pressured FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the ruling, and the global governing body of soccer ultimately suspended the ban, allowing Balogun to feature, despite the president conceding he had no idea what a red card meant prior to the controversy, as per The Mirror US.
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Speaking on her podcast, ‘A Touch More: The Beautiful Game,’ USWNT legend Rapinoe contended that the surrounding turmoil took a toll on the squad’s concentration heading into the match.
“I think the distraction got to the team for sure in some type of way,” she said. “Whether it was this red card situation, whether it was being in a public discourse with this president, all of the shenanigans and chaos that comes with the feelings on both sides of that. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s just like… It’s a lot to contend with.”
Rapinoe went further, suggesting the current USMNT roster lacked the maturity to handle that level of off-field interference.
“Not only does this team not have like a core of older players who are used to that, but none of these players talk about anything ever, like for the most part,” she said. “I think in men’s football, just in general, there’s not a lot of players who are choosing to use their platform or to broaden their scope of pressure and responsibility.”
Rapinoe’s remarks add another installment to her lengthy public dispute with Trump. The pair first clashed openly in 2019, when Rapinoe declared ahead of that year’s Women’s World Cup that she would decline a White House invitation should the USWNT claim the tournament.
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Trump fired back on social media at the time, instructing her to “WIN first before she TALKS.”
Following the U.S. victory and title triumph, Rapinoe honored her pledge, declining the White House visit and instead joining Democratic lawmakers in Washington.
The confrontation reignited in 2023 when Rapinoe failed to convert a penalty in the USWNT’s shootout defeat to Sweden in what turned out to be her final international match.
Trump ridiculed the incident on Truth Social at the time, posting “WOKE EQUALS FAILURE” and “Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell! ! !”
Rapinoe has stayed among the most vocal athletes in American sports on topics including LGBTQ+ rights, equal pay, and racial justice, and her recent statements extend a pattern of leveraging her platform to address political issues relating to soccer.
