CNN Host Highlights Worst Part of Cringe Trump Excuse
“Can we just take a pause,” Erin Burnett said after airing Trump’s comments.
CNN host Erin Burnett has pointed out a cringeworthy element of Donald Trump’s unprecedented personal interference in the World Cup, after the president bragged he understands sport “really well.”
On Monday, Trump, 80, revealed he had contacted his friend, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, to review the decision to give a red card and one-game ban to star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
A red card is the most serious punishment a player can receive from a referee in the World Cup. It results in their immediate ejection from the match, an automatic suspension for the next game and leaves the team to continue the game with one player missing.
A yellow card is less serious and results in the player being sent off.
Folarin Balogun of the U.S. looks dejected in the game that saw America out of the World Cup.
Troy Wayrynen/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters
Following Trump’s personal intervention to Infantino, FIFA announced that Balogun would be eligible to play against Belgium on Monday, leading to questions around the integrity of the tournament. On Sunday, Trump thanked FIFA on Truth Social for “doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice” but did not reveal his involvement.
It is the first time since 1962 that FIFA has overturned a suspension in the World Cup.
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Even conservative commentator Piers Morgan flagged it as “the biggest story, and potential scandal, of the World Cup.”
CNN host Erin Burnett discusses Trump's red card faux pas.
CNN
Speaking on CNN’s OutFront on Monday, host Erin Burnett played Trump’s comment on the incident, where the president referenced Balogun being given a red card.
“I didn‘t know what that meant,” Trump said of the red card. “I didn‘t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can‘t play in the next game... All I did was ask for a review.”
U.S. President Donald Trump wears a medal as he is awarded the FIFA Peace Prize at the Kennedy Center last December.
Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
Burnett noted, “I mean, can we just take a pause to be like, he actually didn‘t even know what a red card was, right? So somebody told him about it and, `Oh, I guess I‘ll just call my buddy... who gave me the peace prize.’”
Despite Trump’s controversial insertion into the drama, the USA lost to Belgium 4-1 on Monday, ending their World Cup run.
CNN Senior Correspondent Donie O’Sullivan also pointed out Trump’s confusing comments on Monday in the White House.
Speaking about the incident that got Balogun the red card, Trump said, “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete. And I understand sports really well. Really well. And that wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction.”
Trump added, “He didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player or one of our best players... And you give him a red card.”
O’Sullivan posted on X, “Trump saying he didn’t know what a red card was -- then proceeding to say it definitely wasn’t a red card.😂 Not helpful for the US `soccer’ fan stereotype."
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
During his Monday comments, Trump also seemed not to understand the specifics of being suspended.“It’s one thing to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.”
Ironically, in August 2018, Infantino gave Trump a personal lesson on what a red card is during a meeting in the White House.
Infantino, who was visiting Trump after he locked in the successful bid for the joint-hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup, pulled out yellow and red cards in front of the president.
Noting the cards “could be useful” for Trump, Infantino said “in soccer, we have referees... And they have cards. Yellow card is a warning,” he said, then added “and when you want to kick out someone,” and pulled out the red card.
Trump then grabbed the red card and threw it towards the assembled journalists, saying “I like that.”
U.S. President Donald Trump pretends to throw a red card at the news media given to him by the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino.
Leah Millis/REUTERS
Last December, Infantino created the FIFA Peace Prize, a special award he then gifted to Trump, who called receiving it “one of the great honors of my life.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with FIFA President Gianni Infantino after being awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
Jonathan Ernst/Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
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