White House defends Balogun's birthright citizenship after Trump drawn into red card ban row

WASHINGTON, DC: After a huge controversy over Trump’s involvement in the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red card ban, the White House has defended the footballer’s birthright citizen status.

FIFA on Sunday, July 5, announced that Balogun’s suspension would be deferred under a one-year probationary period rather than immediately enforced, allowing the key US player to remain available for Monday, July 6, night’s clash against Belgium.

White House dismisses birthright criticism in Balogun’s case

White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai, on Monday, July 6, dismissed criticism that it was ironic for President Donald Trump to urge FIFA to lift US soccer player Folarin Balogun's suspension when Balogun would not have been eligible to play for the US without birthright citizenship.

“I would say it’s kind of an asinine observation,” Desai told The Hill.

“What the president has regularly called out is the fact that birthright citizenship is unfettered,” he added.

“It was meant originally, as the president discussed before, the babies of freed slaves, that they would … have American citizenship and have the rights of Americans, which we fought an entire Civil War to guarantee.”

President Trump influenced Balogun’s reinstatement by FIFA

President Donald Trump, on Monday, July 6, confirmed that he called the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, for the suspension of Balogun's red card ban.

During the White House press conference on Monday, Trump was asked to describe his call with Infantino.

The president said he “understands sports really, really well,” so he felt compelled to say something when he saw a slow motion replay of the collision that led to Balogun’s red card.

“They got sort of entangled. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player — or one of our best players. A very vital player. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t think it meant much,” Trump said.

“Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game — at least in the next game. I said, boy, that’s a big [problem]. You know, if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair. But when they take your best player, or just about — they have some great players — and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair.”

Folarin Balogun received a red card on July 1, 2026, during the USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match in the round of 32 of the World Cup.

He was sent off for serious foul play after a video review (VAR) showed his cleat awkwardly scraping down the back of an opponent's leg and stepping on their ankle