Trump Works the FIFA Refs

Episode of Pod Save America · July 7, 2026 · 1 h 4 min

Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor discuss Trump's FIFA intervention, the NATO summit, Graham Platner's allegations, the Michigan Senate primary, Israel politics, McConnell's health, and July 4th speeches.

Summary

Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor opened with FIFA's decision to suspend the one-game ban attached to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun's red card at the 2026 World Cup after Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Both considered the red card unjustified but criticized the intervention; Vietor described FIFA as essentially a criminal organization and suggested U.S. Soccer's planned appeal may already have been in motion. They then previewed the NATO summit in Turkey, discussing Trump's 5% of GDP defense spending demand, which Vietor called absurd and partly a fake target, European efforts to reduce dependence on American technology and defense, Mark Carney's alternative vision, and Ukraine's needs.

On the Senate map, the hosts discussed a Politico report in which a woman accused Maine nominee Graham Platner of sexual assault, which he denied. Both argued Platner must withdraw before the July 13 deadline so Democrats can defeat Susan Collins, while Vietor cautioned against concluding that outsiders should not run. They discussed Mallory McMorrow's exit from the Michigan primary, with Vietor arguing her votes would split rather than flow to Haley Stevens and that her attack on Abdul El-Sayed over Hasan Piker was a fatal error.

The conversation turned to the Democratic realignment on Israel, including Rahm Emanuel's planned Tel Aviv speech. Lovett argued no politician was articulating a pro-Palestinian position that also affirms Israel's right to exist, while Vietor called the two-state solution unrealistic and urged progressives to show more empathy for Israeli and Jewish trauma. They closed with speculation about Mitch McConnell's health, Lovett's anecdote about an Ariel Sharon statement, a critique of Trump's chaotic Freedom 250 celebration and the Patriot Front march, and praise for Zohran Mamdani's patriotic July 4th speech and the conservative backlash to it.

Chapters

  1. 2:48

    Introduction

    Lovett and Vietor preview the episode's topics, including whether Mitch McConnell is alive.

  2. 3:25

    Trump and the Balogun red card

    The hosts discuss FIFA suspending Folarin Balogun's ban after Trump called Gianni Infantino, and FIFA's history of corruption.

  3. 10:16

    Enjoying the World Cup

    The hosts praise the quality of the tournament and note travel fears were overblown aside from the treatment of Iran's team.

  4. 12:24

    NATO summit in Turkey

    Discussion of transatlantic tensions, the 5% defense spending target, Ukraine, and Europe's push to reduce reliance on the U.S.

  5. 24:26

    Graham Platner allegations

    The hosts react to a sexual assault allegation against Maine's Democratic Senate nominee and argue he must withdraw.

  6. 35:15

    Michigan Senate primary

    Mallory McMorrow's exit leaves a two-way race between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens, and the hosts assess its effects.

  7. 39:50

    Democrats' realignment on Israel

    The hosts discuss Gaza as a threshold issue, Rahm Emanuel's speech, AIPAC, and the viability of a two-state solution.

  8. 50:42

    Is Mitch McConnell alive?

    The hosts discuss reports and speculation about McConnell's health and Lovett recounts writing a statement about Ariel Sharon.

  9. 55:41

    Trump's Freedom 250 celebration

    The hosts critique the heat, chaos, and fireworks of Trump's July 4th event and mock the Patriot Front march.

  10. 58:00

    Mamdani's July 4th speech

    The hosts praise Zohran Mamdani's patriotic speech and criticize the conservative backlash to it.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Linked moment · 3:25Skip to 3:25 using a listen link in the info box.

    Tommy Vietor

    Vietor argues Balogun's red card was unjustified and deserved at most a yellow, noting Messi was not carded for similar conduct.

    “I think it was at worst the yellow card. Lionel Messi did something very similar in a different game in this World Cup, didn't get carded at all”

    Listen from 5:20 · 2026 FIFA World Cup

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett argues that, among Trump's forms of bullying, pressuring FIFA over the red card is a relatively minor offense.

    “Bullying to have an advantage removed from Belgium at the expense of a corrupt group of European chauvinists is like not that big of a sin”

    Listen from 6:59 · 2026 FIFA World Cup

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor suggests Trump may be taking credit for an outcome that U.S. Soccer's planned appeal had already set in motion.

    “there's a chance here that Trump is taking credit for something that was already in motion, which is something presidents get to do, good or bad”

    Listen from 8:47 · United States men's national soccer team

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor characterizes FIFA as essentially a criminal organization motivated by money, with Infantino deferring to whoever is most powerful.

    “the way to ultimately understand FIFA is it's basically a criminal organization that just cares about money”

    Listen from 9:20 · FIFA

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor calls Trump's 5% of GDP defense target absurd but partly fake because 1.5 points can go to broader security investments.

    “5% is absurd. That said, it's like a fake target because 3.5 of the 5% goes to military spending”

    Listen from 13:32 · 2026 NATO summit

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett argues Europeans may now see U.S. unreliability as a structural American problem rather than one specific to Trump.

    “there does seem to be a real possibility of Europe actually viewing this is not a Trump problem, but an America problem”

    Listen from 15:27 · 2026 NATO summit

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor identifies an incoherence in Trump pressing NATO allies on spending while appearing indifferent to Russian aggression.

    “NATO exists to deter a Russian invasion. But Trump sort of doesn't seem to care about Russia invading other countries”

    Listen from 19:42 · 2026 NATO summit

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor reads Platner's response video as signaling he will leave the race and says he must withdraw.

    “I think my takeaway from that video was that he's going to drop out of the race. I think he has to drop out of the race”

    Listen from 26:29 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett argues Platner must end his campaign to give Democrats a chance against Susan Collins, as his denials have repeatedly been contradicted.

    “Yeah, he has to end the campaign so that we have a chance of defeating Susan Collins”

    Listen from 27:54 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor maintains there is no evidence Platner intentionally got a Nazi tattoo or held Nazi sympathies, though he believes Platner was not honest about it.

    “I still don't think there's evidence that he intended to get a Nazi tattoo on purpose or that he had like Nazi leanings”

    Listen from 29:51 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor argues McMorrow's attack on El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker was a fatal error that boosted El-Sayed and aligned her with the establishment.

    “I think she made sort of what turned out to be a fatal error by attacking Abdul for campaigning with this on Piker”

    Listen from 36:46 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor reports that polling he has heard about indicates McMorrow's supporters are split and will not simply move to Haley Stevens.

    “I've heard from people who've seen a lot of polling that Mallory's votes are very much split. It's not an obvious boon to Haley Stevens”

    Listen from 38:14 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett argues that Biden and Harris failed to offer a progressive framework on Israel, leaving a vacuum in the Democratic debate.

    “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris left such a massive hole, both in terms of the policy and any kind of larger framework or message”

    Listen from 41:29 · Israeli–Palestinian conflict

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor suggests Rahm Emanuel's Tel Aviv speech is partly aimed at signaling to Israeli voters to move on from Netanyahu ahead of elections.

    “Netanyahu has an election in October at the latest. I think he's going over there in part to kind of stir some shit up”

    Listen from 42:26 · Israeli–Palestinian conflict

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett argues there is an unarticulated pro-Palestinian position that also affirms Israel's right to exist, but no politician is espousing it.

    “Like there is a full-throated pro-Palestinian position that acknowledges Israel's right to exist and defend itself, that I think could reflect the values Abdul's talking about”

    Listen from 43:33 · Israeli–Palestinian conflict

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor argues the two-state solution is currently unrealistic due to settlement expansion and lost faith after October 7th.

    “At this moment, the two-state solution is just not realistic in any way”

    Listen from 46:57 · Israeli–Palestinian conflict

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor advises progressive candidates to express more empathy for Israeli trauma from October 7th and Jewish fears of antisemitism.

    “one thing that has gotten lost from the conversation is like any sense of empathy and a lot of these answers about the trauma that Israelis felt on October 7th”

    Listen from 47:26 · Gaza war

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor says that although he does not usually trust Laura Loomer, he finds it plausible a White House source told her McConnell is brain dead.

    “I don't normally believe her, but I do believe that someone close to the White House would tell her that”

    Listen from 53:18 · Mitch McConnell health speculation

  • Jon Lovett

    Lovett recounts that while working for Hillary Clinton he drafted a premature statement on Ariel Sharon's death, to which Bill Clinton's office added a line about Sharon dying with his boots on.

    “And the last line of it said, and Ariel Sharon died with his boots on”

    Listen from 55:01

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor argues Trump should have canceled his July 4th speech given the dangerous heat instead of having supporters wait for hours.

    “But what is dangerously hot outside? The thing you do is you cancel your speech”

    Listen from 57:33 · United States Semiquincentennial

  • Tommy Vietor

    Vietor praises Mamdani's July 4th speech as a patriotic, optimistic message in the style of Barack Obama.

    “Look, it was a very Obama message. So no surprise that I liked it”

    Listen from 59:13 · United States Semiquincentennial

People

In the conversation

  • Jon LovettCo-host of Pod Save America; diarization split of the same speaker during the economics segment
  • Tommy VietorCo-host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World who conducted the Josh Turek interview

Discussed

Topics

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From the publisher

After FIFA unexpectedly overturns the red card handed to U.S. star Folarin Balogun, Donald Trump confirms that he personally called FIFA's president and asked him to "review" the penalty. Tommy and Lovett react to Trump's meddling and discuss how it mirrors his relationship with European powers as the president heads to Turkey for a NATO summit. Then, they check in on Democrats' attempts to take back the Senate — discussing terrible new allegations against Graham Platner and Mallory McMorrow's decision to drop out of the Michigan Senate race — before turning to the contrasting ways Zohran Mamdani and Trump supporters celebrated America's 250th in New York and Washington, DC. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here . For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

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