Belgian Prime Minister Appears To Slip In A Trump World Cup Zinger During NATO Meeting

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever appeared to deliver a pointed “red card” remark about Donald Trump during a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. Speaking while discussing NATO’s planned $80 billion military aid package for Ukraine, De Wever said it would send a “very strong ‘red card’ to Putin,” referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion launched in 2022. Trump was seated at the same table, and De Wever added: “You can’t just take back a red card.” The comments were widely seen as referencing Trump’s admitted request for FIFA to review a red-card suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun before the Americans’ Round of 16 match versus Belgium. FIFA overturned the ban, and Belgium later won 4-1, with players trolling Trump after the game.