Trump Compares Balogun Red Card to ‘Really Bad’ Missed Caitlin Clark Foul Call

President Donald Trump found a way to compare the red card suspension of Folarin Balogun during the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina to a missed foul call against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

The case against Balogun was not as bad as what Clark suffered, Trump insisted. “I had nothing to do with the decision. What I did have to do is I said, ‘I think it should be reviewed, because I watched the play and he didn’t do anything wrong,” the president said. “You know, [you’ve] got to look. By the way, if he did, I’d feel differently. Probably if he punched him in the face, if he did something wrong.”

Trump continued, “I thought your young, wonderful basketball player, Caitlin [Clark], I thought that she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth. That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event. But in this case, he didn’t do anything wrong. Two people ran into each other, and, by the way, if you look at that game, there were ten instances where it was much rougher than that. So I think I think it starts with the fact that it shouldn’t have been a foul.”

The Fever were hosting the Phoenix Mercury on June 24 when Clark became entangled with Alyssa Thomas during the game’s second quarter. The pair both fell to the floor during the game’s second quarter, and Thomas appeared to place her closed fist on Clark’s throat when she attempted to stand back up. The foul was not called in the moment, but Thomas was later hit with a flagrant-2 and was suspended for one game.

Thomas later told reporters she had received death threats after the incident, which she said was an accident. “A lot of us — myself included — didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. Now we’re being painted as thugs. There’s death threats out on us. It’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m just really sick and tired of it.”

She added, “”We still have yet to hear anything from [WNBA Commissioner] Cathy. It’s no surprise. You could see what’s being said on social media. Yeah, it’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.”

“The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a written statement shared with ESPN. “We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”

Clark also addressed the incident. “I did think it was a flagrant foul,” she told reporters in Indianapolis during a statement that spanned more than five minutes. She also said, “I think we really need to do a better job protecting the people in this league.”

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