General U.S. NewsJul 6, 2026·3 min read

FIFA Gives Trump Exactly What He Wants

The Intercept

1h ago

Summary

President Donald Trump regularly resorts to bluster and threats to get his way — from efforts to overturn election results to campaigning for international prizes — often with little success. But in FIFA, he has finally found a pliant partner to massage his ego and do his bidding. In a highly unusual move this weekend, the international soccer federation reversed a suspension of a top U.S. player after a personal intervention by Trump, undermining the integrity of the game, according to experts. Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino, following a win by the U.S. men’s soccer team in the FIFA World Cup last week, and asked him to review the one-game suspension of striker Folarin Balogun, the team’s top goal scorer. On Sunday, FIFA reversed course, announcing Balogun would be eligible to play in the upcoming U.S. match against Belgium. It was the first time that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup in 64 years. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. The Union of European Football Associations expressed “disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” that it said undermined not just the tournament but soccer itself. “Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said in a statement. “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.” On Monday, Trump described FIFA referee Raphael Claus, who gave Balogun the red card after a review suggested by the video assistant referee, as “ very suspect ” — an apparent reference to past accusations of match fixing. Trump is currently attempting to force Congress to pass legislation — the SAVE America Act — which threatens to increase the difficulty or block the ability to vote for millions of eligible American citizens, justifying the legislation with false claims of voter fraud. According to research by the Brennan Center for Justice , more than 21 million citizens do not have ready access to a birth certificate, a passport, or naturalization papers that would be needed to comply with a so-called “show your papers” provision. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse.

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Supreme Court lets Texas restrict minors' access to app stores for the time being

Spectators take photos with their smartphones during a World Cup match at the Houston Stadium in Houston on June 23. The Supreme Court is allowing Texas to enforce a law that limits minors' access to app stores on mobile devices while lawsuits continue in the lower courts. Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a Texas law prohibiting minors from downloading apps without their parent's consent to go into effect. Multiple organizations had sued the state, arguing that the law violates children's freedom of speech. But in an unsigned, unexplained order, the high court allowed Texas to enforce the law as lawsuits continue in lower courts. Texas enacted its App Store Accountability Act in 2025. Challengers argued that such a broad law is plainly unconstitutional under a variety of Supreme Court precedents, holding that children do have substantial free speech rights. Children must get parental approval before downloading all other apps, such as Instagram, library apps, and the apps of news organizations. On Monday, the Supreme Court left the law in place, at least for now. This is not the first time the Supreme Court has dealt with a law banning children from accessing content online.

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US Supreme Court clears path for Texas to enforce app age verification law

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FIFA Gives Trump Exactly What He Wants

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