The President of the United States Donald Trump said FIFA president Gianni Infantino made the right decision by suspending the red card shown to American forward Folarin Balogun before the United States’ last 16 match against Belgium. FIFA World Cupa match that the Americans eventually lost 4-1.Trump made the remarks during a reception at Trump Tower ahead of a FIFA Council meeting on Friday, two days before Sunday’s World Cup final.Trump and Infantino walked on stage as Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA played through the speakers. The two stood at the podium for over two minutes until the song ended before they began their speeches.Both talked about the success of the tournament, highlighting the attendance and television audience. Infantino thanked Trump for his support in hosting the event.“You have brought about the greatest human social and cultural event that humanity has ever witnessed,” Infantino said.During his speech, Trump again referred to what he described as the “stolen” 2020 US presidential election, following his televised address in which he made unverified claims that China had interfered in the election.“I said, you know, he shouldn’t be here now. I should have been president for eight years,” Trump said, referring to the fact that if he had won the 2020 election, he would have left office before the 2026 World Cup.“The polls showed it. Everyone showed it. They won the election. And what did I have? I had the World Cup. I had the Olympics. And I brought it here.”Trump then turned his attention to the US men’s national team and Balogun’s disciplinary case.“You had unforgettable moments, as probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman [a red card]Trump said.“And I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation. I said, Gianni, I want to make a recommendation. Leave the guy in the game. No, I didn’t say that. I said, I would like to make a complaint. And actually, I had no idea what was going to happen.”Balogun’s one-game suspension was lifted before the Belgium game, allowing him to play, even though the United States was eliminated after a 4-1 defeat.Trump said the result eliminated any debate about whether the suspension had affected the outcome.“You know, it’s much better … because there’s no controversy,” he said.“They won the game, and our team had all their players. Think about it, if he didn’t allow it, they would say: “We won the game if we had our best players”. So Gianni made another one of his very good decisions.”Towards the end of the event, Trump said that he wanted the United States to host another FIFA World Cup in the future.“This time we’re leaving Mexico and Canada,” he said, drawing laughter from those attending the reception.