He must have seen an easy political win, currying favor with the nation’s soccer fans even if the rest of the world whined about it.

But it turns out that Americans disagree. A new poll reveals that a majority of people disapproved of Trump making a call to Gianni Infantino asking to reinstate striker Folarin Balogun.

Some 51% said they strongly or somewhat disapproved. Only 21% said they approved, according to a YouGov poll for The Economist.

This tournament ends on Sunday. And, as usual, all the worst predictions that Trump, ICE agents, visa restrictions would ruin the World Cup proved unfounded.

Trump has stayed away from games so far, but is expected at Sunday’s final.

Even so, his shadow has loomed large. It was at its largest last week, when FIFA threw protocol out of the window to reinstate Balogun for the quarterfinal game against Belgium after he received a harsh red card in the preceding game. Trump quickly took credit for one of his typically norm-busting moves, admitting (or boasting, depending on your view) that he had telephoned Infantino to register a protest.

The joke doing the online rounds is that Balogun did the decent thing and, mindful of the controversy, did the honorable thing and opted to sit out of the match. In fact, he simply looked off his game, as did the team around him, as they fell to a lackluster defeat.

He admitted as much in an interview this week.

“My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my team-mates a bit of nerves, because it’s something that is so unique,” Balogun told CBS. “But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid.” 

Would the team have played better without Balogun, but without all the noise?

And maybe if Belgium had been dispatched with another swaggering performance by the man who plays for Monaco in the French league, then Americans would have been more approving. Just think Venezuela, another of the president’s bold gambles that ended with a dictator in custody and minimal American casualties.

Matthew K. Lewis, a conservative podcaster and NOTUS columnist, said Trump’s intervention had changed the status of the team from plucky underdog to villain.

“The red card was bogus to begin with, and the president is going to bat for his country, his team,” said Lewis. “So you could understand a political calculation that this is a slam dunk. It works out and you’re the hero, but I don’t think they considered the sort of second-order problems that this would create.”

If they had won the game, he added, there is no doubt more people would have approved of the intervention.

Brian Glenn, former White House correspondent of pro-MAGA streaming network Real America’s Voice, said: “I know that US soccer fans loved it, but where do we draw the boundaries on what the president should get involved in?”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

A top aide addressed the question last week. Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup task force, said it was always right to stand up for a level playing field when he was asked at a briefing whether anyone had anticipated a backlash.

“You had that red card, which never should have been administered, reversed,” Giuliani said. “And we stand by the actions that we took.”

Keir Starmer’s World Cup dash

While we are on the World Cup, spare a thought for British taxpayers. If England beats Argentina in Wednesday’s semifinal, its prime minister is planning to fly to New York/New Jersey (as apparently we call it now) for the World Cup final on Sunday, Secrets can confirm.

So far so good. Sir Keir Starmer is a well-known soccer fan. Seems reasonable that he’ll be there along with Prince William (as Secrets is reliably informed), David Beckham, et al.

But get this. He then has to hot-foot it home, catch a flight to get him back to London first thing on Monday morning because he has a rather important speech followed by an appointment with King Charles III, when he will formally resign as prime minister!

You will remember he is so unpopular (having picked a pal of Jeffrey Epstein’s to be his ambassador to Washington) that his own Labour Party has forced him out, to be replaced by Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester.

Secrets’s view? Well, if you are that hated already, it probably makes little difference if you plan to spend your final weekend in office by blowing thousands of pounds on a trans-Atlantic trip to watch a soccer game. 

Or as one online joker put it: “They’re gonna give him one of those perfect days you give your dog before having him put down.”

Ossoff on the move

The latest 2028 election odds show little movement in the overall race. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is in the lead, with Vice President JD Vance right on his tail.

But there is movement below. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is on the move, his odds improving from 10/1 to 8/1, according to the latest numbers from betonline.ag. Not bad for someone who is still perhaps not widely known beyond Georgia and the pundit class.

What is going on? Ossoff seems to be having a rich fundraising moment, bringing in a whopping $77 million for his Senate campaign through the end of the first quarter of the year, and looks to be one of the most sought-after Democrats of them all: a winner in a Trump state.

The other reason may be that interest in Newsom is cooling, so gamblers need to put their money somewhere else. As ever, early in the race, there is a young, politically flexible candidate who comes without the baggage of an older runner.

Secrets will watch with interest whether he holds his place.

Lunchtime reading

We went on the road with Mike Johnson and his 1,477 unread text messages: “I’m like a triage surgeon in an active battlefield,” Johnson said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. “All I do is go from crisis to crisis, hemorrhaging wounds, all day long.”

Listening to the England National Football Team: Come for the London soundscape and the post-colonial theorizing, and stay for the dive into Trump’s decision making. Genius or pretentious nonsense? Not sure, but Secrets read it all.

You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at [email protected] with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here