Why Trump’s World Cup Intervention Backfired, Feat. Joon Lee

If you love What Next, join Slate Plus at https://slate.com/youtubeplus?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=link&utm_content=What_Next&utm_campaign=show_description&tpcc=youtube-link-show_description-What_Next to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. It was the red card—and subsequent White House phone call—heard ‘round the world. After USMNT striker Folarin Balogun was dealt a red card, President Trump gave FIFA head Gianni Infantino a ring. Suddenly, Balogun’s one-game suspension was revoked. It wasn’t enough to keep USMNT from losing against Belgium 4-1… but it was enough to ruin the World Cup vibes and make the United States, once again, the world’s villain.  Guest: Joon Lee is an independent sports journalist. His work can be found on his Youtube channel: @iamjoonlee. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort. Video production by Rob Gunther. Social: @maryharris on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/maryharris.bsky.social Note: Captions are auto-generated by YouTube. Learn more: https://slate.com/podcasts/what-next Follow Slate on Social: Slate on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Slate Slate Podcasts on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SlatePodcasts Slate on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slate Slate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slate