Despite President Donald Trump’s meddling in the International Federation of Association Football’s (FIFA) decision to suspend sanctions, the U.S. soccer team suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat against Belgium. The British Independent reported on Tuesday that online mockery of Trump has been rampant.
Belgium secured their spot in the quarterfinals by trouncing the U.S. 4-1 in the Round of 16 match held at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Monday.
After netting the fourth goal, Romelu Lukaku and his teammates celebrated by mimicking the YMCA dance, a move frequently showcased by Trump during his 2024 campaign rallies.
The Belgian national team took to Instagram, posting a photo of Lukaku cupping his ear to the crowd with the caption “Flip this too.”
This match unfolded amid a swirling controversy over political interference, as FIFA confirmed that Trump had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the process of suspending the ban on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun.
Backlash against Trump’s interference has been mounting stateside.
The X account “Republicans Against Trump” sarcastically suggested that Trump would slap a 6,000% tariff on Belgian exports as retaliation for the match result. A follow-up post featuring Trump’s infamous dance moves quipped, “Let’s bump it up to 12,000%.”
Podcaster Spencer Hackman humorously tweeted, “[Breaking] Trump claims Belgium is just two weeks away from developing nuclear weapons,” in a nod to the Iran rhetoric.
Social media was flooded with memes, including a U.S. map relabeling the Gulf of Mexico as Belgium Bay, the iconic Manneken Pis statue sporting a Belgian jersey while relieving itself on Trump, and an image of enraged Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters storming FIFA headquarters, reminiscent of the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) didn’t mince words, stating that Trump has the reverse Midas touch. This fiasco is just another example of the Trump effect – everything he touches turns to disaster.
Prior to the match, Trump had quipped that if Belgium won, he’d claim the game was rigged, much like his baseless allegations about the 2020 election, before adding that he won’t go too far into that.
