Donald Trump thrusted himself into the pregame headlines of the U.S. World Cup match against Belgium, and now the president is catching arrows from fans who believe the “Trump Curse” is responsible for the defeat.
Trump lobbied FIFA to review and suspend a red card given to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in the previous round of the World Cup.
Balogun started against Belgium in the round of 16, but he couldn’t rescue the U.S. from a mistake-filled performance that culminated in a 4-1 blowout at Seattle’s Lumen Field on July 6.
“Everything Trump touches dies,” a U.S. soccer fan in the stadium after the loss said in a video posted to X that also included an expletive aimed at the president.
“I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of our fans…Everything Trump touches dies!”
It was clear that Trump’s interference and the subsequent overturn of Balogun’s red card suspension was on the minds of the Belgium players.
Belgium substitute scorer Romelu Lukaku and his teammates mocked Trump’s signature dance after scoring the final goal of the match.
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The team also posted a celebratory photo on X after the game that inlcuded the caption, “Overturn this.”
Trump’s meddling aside, the USA players did not cover themselves in glory after a previously inspiring performance in the earlier stages of the World Cup.
From the beginning, the team struggled to complete passes.
Three American players watched a ball in the air, while a Belgian player beat them to the ball and set up the first goal of the game in the ninth minute.
The U.S. later tied the game at 1-1 but quickly gave the lead back and never recovered.
Trump has been on the wrong side of some sports predictions lately or in attendance when a home team loses a game.
Prior to the World Cup disappointment, Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8.
The Knicks had won 13 playoff games in a row at the time. However, the Spurs won the game in front of Trump to break the Knicks’ streak.
That victory became the Spurs’ only win of the NBA Finals, as New York captured its first NBA title in 53 years just five days after the president watched Game 3 in person.
These two latest results have only added to the lore of the Trump Curse, which many now believe is a real thing.
Some even think it had an effect on U.S. star Christian Pulisic, who did the “Trump Dance” after scoring a goal against Jamaica in November 2024.
Pulisic, considered to be one of the most important players on the team, had a pedestrian performance in the World Cup before leaving with an injury in Seattle vs. Belgium.
“In the 14 games since Christian Pulisic broke out the Trump dance, he’s scored 1 goal and 3 assists with an average match rating of 6.6,” an X user wrote after Belgium eliminated the US from the World Cup.
The USA players deserve the ultimate blame for their untimely exit from the World Cup, but that won’t stop the Trump Curse from being a topic of conversation.
You can bet it will come up again the next time the president decides to go see a game in person.
