​Donald Trump reportedly admitted making a call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a fresh look at a controversial red card issued to USMNT star Folarin Balogun. One of his former aides now contends that the exchange with Infantino showcased more of an intimidating approach than a mere plea for review, suggesting the politician has long used pressure tactics to push his agenda on various issues.
FIFA’s extraordinary decision to suspend Balogun’s one-match ban drew criticism from multiple quarters, with Trump’s subsequent “rigged” charge fueling the controversy further. It was after Balogun’s sending-off in the 2-0 World Cup win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that Trump reportedly phoned FIFA’s chief to urge a second look at the punishment. In the end, FIFA reversed the suspension, prompting Miles Taylor, a former Trump aide who served as Homeland Security’s chief of staff, to condemn the move as part of a broader pattern of intimidation he says he has witnessed from the president.
Taylor argued that Trump’s handling of the situation reflected a familiar method of pressuring officials to tilt outcomes in his favor, claiming the incident went beyond a simple call for reconsideration. In an analysis for The i Paper, he asserted that the United States’ loss to Belgium had effectively ended its World Cup campaign, but warned that the damage ran deeper than on-field results: “With a phone call, a reversed suspension, and a gloating social media post, Donald Trump corrupted international sport for a generation.”
Taylor questioned Trump’s stated aim of obtaining an impartial reassessment, recounting an incident from his time at the Department of Homeland Security that, in his view, foreshadowed how Trump treated “referees”—a metaphor for judges and other arbiters of policy and public life. He described public intimidation via social media, private pressure on higher-ups, and, when rulings remained unfavorable, efforts to delegitimize those decisions.
The ex-official recounted a specific Oval Office moment in which he says Trump slammed his fist on the desk while complaining that the courts were undercutting his political standing by striking down his orders. Taylor claimed that this scene illustrated the president’s readiness to escalate confrontations when he did not get his way. He added that Trump allegedly sought to “for better SEO” by shaping outcomes through forceful, high-pressure tactics, a framing that tied the Balogun episode to a broader pattern of behavior he says compromises institutions and democratic norms.
This narrative portrays Trump’s interaction with Infantino and the subsequent FIFA decision as part of a broader pattern, according to Taylor, in which the former president uses bold, public pressure and private persuasion to bend rules and expectations in his favor. The account emphasizes a view of Trump not just as someone seeking a fair review, but as a figure who repeatedly leverages intimidation and leverage to influence outcomes, including those that govern international sport and the integrity of democratic processes.