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Donald does it again… President Trump killed much of the positive PR that the US has enjoyed as one of the co-hosts of the World Cup. He stuck his nose into a story where it didn’t belong.
The media have been filled with feel-good stories about foreign visitors extolling the wonders of Southern hospitality, Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, Kansas City barbecue, Fenway Park sing-alongs, ranch dressing and the American Dream Mall.
It apparently was too much for the narcissist-in-chief. He wanted in on the action.
Trump clumsily inserted himself into the World Cup story by asking his buddy and World Cup chief Gianni Infantino to review the red card given to US striker Folarin Bologun.
“I didn’t tell him want to do: I can’t tell him what to do,” Trump said. “And I don’t believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision. And they made the right decision.”
Had the red card been upheld, it would have been a “big stain” on the tournament, according to Trump.
“It is one thing to penalize somebody for the game,” Trump said. “But how do you penalize him for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair, you can’t do that.”
Yes, you can. The red card was introduced in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
It was the brainchild of English referee Ken Aston to overcome language barriers during international matches. He came up with the idea while sitting in his car at a traffic light, according to the BBC. A yellow card is a warning, while a red one is for dismissal.
Trump’s attempt to “rig” the US-Belgium game backfired. Team USA went from being an underdog with widespread fan support to a squad slightly favored over Belgium and scorned throughout the world. Belgium destroyed the Americans by a score of 4 to 1.
The US coach Mauricio Pochettino said his team was simply outplayed by the Belgians. “We were never in the game,” he said. “Everyone saw from the beginning that we did not connect with the game.” They might have had other things on their minds, such as the bid by the president to skirt FIFA’s rules.
He graciously congratulated Belgium. "They were better than us." Pochettino said. "It wasn’t our day.” Team Belgium performed the Trump dance after the game as part of its victory celebration.
Trump got his media spotlight. He should get a red card.
Pride in US tanks... Gallup reports that only a third of US adults are “extremely proud” to be an America. It’s the lowest ranking since Gallup began tracking pride in 2001.
In that initial poll, 55 percent of us were extremely proud. Following the 9/11 attacks, pride surged to 65 percent and hit the 70 percent mark in 2004.
Gallup’s poll highlights the partisan divide of the US. Seven in ten Republicans are extremely proud to be America. That compares to 28 percent of Independents and 14 percent of Democrats.
The results of the midterm elections may give a boost to pride in the USA.
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More MAGA please… The White House Domestic Policy Council celebrated July 4 by releasing the “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases our Heritage.” It should have put some hot dogs on the grill, instead.
The report is nothing more than a compilation of complaints about how the Museum fails to “present America as a coherent nation and heritage worth teaching with gratitude and honesty” while playing up slavery, injustice, mistreatment of native peoples and other grave wrongs.
It includes this cheeky line: “As it stands today, it would benefit most Americans, especially parents bringing their children for a tour, if the Smithsonian’s flagship history museum had a label at every entrance that reads: 'Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don’t want you to love your country.'”
MAGA forever.
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