Leaders at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) summit in Ankara, Turkey, have been advised to avoid discussing the World Cup with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to diplomatic sources. The directive comes amid concerns that the U.S. president is in a "bad mood" following the United States' recent defeat to Belgium in the tournament.
European leaders have been described as "walking on eggshells" at the summit to prevent further antagonism. One diplomatic source stated, "The leaders have agreed not to mention the football because it's obvious that Trump is already in a bad mood about it. Everyone just wants to get through this without antagonizing him any more."
The U.S. team's loss to Belgium came after President Trump personally intervened with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to overturn a red card against U.S. footballer Folarin Balogun. The red card would have prevented Balogun from participating in the match against Belgium. The decision to rescind the punishment, which reportedly prompted fury from Belgium, ultimately did not prevent the U.S. team from losing 4-1, with Balogun not scoring.
Belgian players reportedly mocked Trump's signature dance in their dressing room after the victory, posting footage online with the caption "Overturn this." Despite the World Cup result being a significant talking point, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever confirmed he had not raised the issue with President Trump in Ankara.
"We didn't speak about football," De Wever told reporters. "We have important matters to discuss, and football is, as they say, the most important of the non-important subjects, but it is still non-important, so I didn't raise the subject." He added that the U.S. "remains our strongest ally" and "most important partner," even if the current president is "sometimes more critical of the alliance."
De Wever also noted that Trump "has the reputation of sometimes reacting a bit irritably to things that he doesn't like, and I think this defeat will hit hard."
Meanwhile, President Trump has reportedly continued to express criticism of Nato, including renewed suggestions of annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Nato ally Denmark. The ongoing tensions come as Nato appears set to postpone its next summit until 2029. The annual summits have been held in recent years due to the war in Ukraine, but the planned 2028 summit in Albania is also reportedly set to be cancelled to avoid conflicts with the U.S. presidential race. This effectively means leaders are unlikely to convene until after the next U.S. presidential election.