Politico: Dems Patriotism Problems So Bad They Have Issues Rooting for US World Cup Success

The World Cup — hosted jointly this year by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — has wildly exceeded expectations.

By just how much has it exceeded expectations? Americans suddenly love soccer — which has usually been cast as a liberal-coded sport, much to the dismay of this soccer fan. Europeans suddenly love America. And the United States, Canada, and Mexico, three oft-squabbling siblings that are uneasy with each other at the best of times, have gotten along thus far.

What’s not to like, especially if you’re American? Well, if you’re a Democrat American, the very fact that it’s gone well — because that could theoretically make President Donald Trump look good.

In more evidence that the only patriotic impulse the American left has is to the Democratic Party, Politico reported that the Democrats are trying to “grapple uncomfortably with” the success of the event because it “has forced Democrats who had criticized President Donald Trump’s role in preparations to grudgingly reconsider.”

In fact, says Democratic digital strategist Rob Flaherty, they wanted this to go horribly because the United States looking awful on the world stage was a good thing, so long as Trump went down with the ship we’re supposed to all be sailing on together as Americans. Leftist “patriotism” in action, ladies and gents.

“I think that there was a little bit of like liberal wishcasting that this would maybe be a disaster to sort of stick it to Trump,” Flaherty, a soccer fan himself, said.

“It hasn’t yet been.”

There are outliers, like Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Philadelphia.

“I will do everything I can to get the World Cup back here as soon as possible. It’s been a remarkable success,” he said in an X post, adding, “I will also do everything I can to get the Tartan Army based in Philly. Their fans have won over America. (Though selfishly I also hope Ireland finally makes it too).”

I will do everything I can to get the World Cup back here as soon as possible. It’s been a remarkable success.

I will also do everything I can to get the Tartan Army based in Philly. Their fans have won over America. (Though selfishly I also hope Ireland finally makes it too).

— Congressman Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) June 23, 2026

The Tartan Army, for those not initiated, is the moniker for the fan base of the Scottish national soccer team, which, after a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Wednesday, is likely out of the tournament.

(The new rules of the 48-team World Cup group stage do allow third-place teams in the group stage, like Scotland, to qualify for the round of 32 — but as Sky News notes, the side has played all of its group stage matches and finished with only three points and a negative-three goal differential, and they’d basically need an absurd number of things to go right for them in five separate unplayed matches to move on.)

The Republic of Ireland hasn’t been in the World Cup, meanwhile, since 2002. But you know what country is in this year’s tournament? The United States, which won consecutive games in the World Cup for the first time since 1930 and also won their group, despite a 3-2 loss to Türkiye/Turkey/whatever on Thursday night.

Yes, even in praising the way the World Cup has gone off, a Democrat still can’t openly root for his own country. Words fail me.

And still, at least he’s kinda-okay when you consider the rest of his ilk. From Politico’s report:

Before the tournament, attitudes about the World Cup were polarizing, like so much else, along partisan lines, with Democrats confronting FIFA and the Trump administration over high ticket prices, shortfalls in public funding, and the government’s posture to foreign visitors. As the tournament approached, local officials in areas hosting matches, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, turned from critics to cheerleaders. …

Boyle’s enthusiasm places him in rare territory. Though other prominent Democrats including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, along with Mamdani and Sherrill, have all attended games, few among them have been willing to articulate anything that sounds like praise for the authorities putting on the event.

Actually, I’ll be forced to agree with Boyle again here: “The credit goes to the local host committees.” Which is why this shouldn’t be a political fútbol. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

The World Cup does not just happen overnight, and it’s not like the president of the United States — who holds the most exigent job in the free world — has time to plan the biggest non-Olympic sporting event on the planet, either. Not only that, I don’t know anyone dumb enough to believe Trump does — but I’ll concede I don’t know as many Democrats as Republicans, which could perhaps have something to do with it.

Sure, Trump will brag about the success of the World Cup. Why wouldn’t he? I don’t recall anyone bemoaning Bill Clinton basking in the success of the only other men’s World Cup America hosted, the 1994 affair — and bask in the success of it he still does, considering the event occupies a not-inconsiderable chunk of content on his presidential library website — and this time around makes that first U.S. World Cup look positively quaint.

But, alas, here’s where we are — Trump Derangement Syndrome really does spoil everything. At a moment of unalloyed glory for the United States, not just as a competing nation but as a country on display to a world that has become accustomed to hearing how terrible we were from international (and also American, to be frank) media, Democrats can only think of one thing: How can this be spun into Orange Man Bad?

Voters, remember one thing this November, and every November hence: If the left can’t pull for America now, they’ll never be able to bring themselves to do so.

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