United States President, Donald Trump - Byline Times
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Claim: A viral WhatsApp post claims that U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cancel the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States if FIFA did not overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card, accusing FIFA referees of being ‘corrupt and disgraceful.’
Verdict: False! DUBAWA found no evidence that Donald Trump made the viral statement. A review of his official Truth Social account and other verified social media platforms found no such post. Instead, Trump publicly welcomed FIFA’s decision to overturn the red card and praised the organisation for correcting what he considered an unfair decision.
Full Text
A screenshot circulating on WhatsApp claims to show a Truth Social post by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the purported post, Trump allegedly describes FIFA referees as “corrupt and disgraceful.” It further accuses the Football Federation of trying to ruin American soccer and threatens to cancel the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States unless Folarin Balogun’s red card is overturned.
Screenshot of the WhatsApp message making rounds.
The post has attracted significant online engagement, with many users sharing it as authentic. On a satirical Instagram account, for instance, the post had 8,100 likes, 870 comments, and 220 reshares.
Given the potential to misinform the public, DUBAWA investigated the claim’s authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA reviewed Donald Trump’s official Truth Social account, examining posts published from July 1, 2026, onward. The review found no record of the viral statement.
Instead, Trump’s verified post concerning FIFA discussed the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card. In that post, he praised FIFA for reversing the decision, describing it as the correct outcome. At no point did he threaten to cancel the World Cup or accuse FIFA of trying to destroy American soccer.
DUBAWA also reviewed Trump’s verified accounts on other major social media platforms, such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), and found no evidence that he ever made the statements contained in the viral screenshot.
The wording, formatting, and content of the circulating image are therefore inconsistent with Trump’s verified public communications.
A further thorough verification by DUBAWA showed that an Instagram account (Pdp news), a renowned page for satirical posts to create humour, had posted the same screenshot and used the same words, suggesting that the screenshot might have originated from that page.
Conclusion
The viral screenshot claiming Donald Trump threatened to cancel the 2026 FIFA World Cup unless FIFA reversed Folarin Balogun’s red card is false. DUBAWA found no such post on Trump’s official Truth Social account or any of his verified social media platforms. His actual comments praised FIFA for overturning the red card rather than threatening the tournament.
