‘Morning Joe’ Crew Fears for USMNT Amid Trump World Cup Controversy

MS NOW’s Morning Joe panel weighed in on the World Cup controversy on Monday’s (July 6) show, with co-host Jonathan Lemire suggesting that FIFA’s red card ruling could lead to “bad karma.”

The drama surrounds U.S. Men’s Soccer team star Folarin Balogun, who received a red card during the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, making him ineligible for the U.S.’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. That was until FIFA announced on Sunday (July 5) that it was suspending the red card, meaning Balogun can play in the crucial knockout game.

As Lemire pointed out, the decision to suspend Balogun’s red card came following reports that President Donald Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Balogun’s behalf. This has led critics to accuse Trump and FIFA of corruption, though FIFA states that it is within its rules to suspend a red card.

“This certainly helps the U.S. on the field, but the karma is bad,” Lemire said on Morning Joe, per Mediaite. “The karma is very bad. You know, Keir Starmer, lame duck Prime Minister of the U.K., probably can’t get that red card overturned, the one from yesterday.”

Lemire was referring to Jarell Quansah, the England center-back who received a red card during his team’s clash with Mexico on Sunday night. The MS NOW anchor said he doesn’t believe Starmer would be able to call FIFA and get the card suspended, “but President Trump can.”

He said the U.S. team’s World Cup run has been “magical” so far and could be extended due to this decision. However, he admitted that “suddenly the feeling is a little bit off.”

MS NOW contributor Pablo Torre took a different stance, calling it a “political trap for Democrats.” This is because Torre believed the alleged interference by Trump was something the majority of U.S. supporters agreed with, especially given the questionable nature of the red card decision to begin with.

“Everybody has fallen in love with this team. They love this team, they love Flo Balogun… whose mom was stopped getting onto the plane back to England because she was seven months pregnant by a flight attendant and gave birth in Brooklyn to this man, the most potent scorer on the team, and therefore, via birthright citizenship, became an American,” Torre said. “So, President Trump intervening for a birthright citizen to win against Belgium is itself just like this political briar patch.”

Lemire agreed that the initial red card against Balogun was “bogus,” but said that the situation is “complicated.”

Soccer analyst Roger Bennett, who hosts the Men in Blazers podcast, noted that the decision will likely benefit the U.S. team. Still, he agreed with Lemire that the vibes are off now and that any future victories would be tainted.

“There will be an asterisk against every achievement this team makes,” Bennett stated. “And that’s probably the most harrowing thing of all.”