US President Donald Trump said he contacted FIFA to have a red card and one-match suspension against American forward Folarin Balogun reviewed, clearing the striker to feature in the United States' World Cup fixture against Belgium. FIFA duly suspended Balogun's punishment but insisted Trump's call played no part in the decision. When the US then lost the match 4-1, a wave of anti-Trump users online celebrated the defeat, framing it as karma for what they saw as Trump attempting to interfere with the officials.

Balogun, described as central to the US team's earlier progress in the tournament, had been sent off in a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina for stepping on an opponent's ankle. The article, published by Fox News, quotes several posts from the platform Bluesky in which users expressed satisfaction at the loss, accusing Trump of trying to "rig" the outcome, with one saying they could never have supported a US victory obtained that way. Fox characterises the platform as a "left-wing" space and frames the reaction as liberals rooting against the national team to spite Trump.