Tiffany Haddish roasts Trump over World Cup loss. White House responds

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAYWed, July 8, 2026 at 4:54 PM UTC

12

Tiffany Haddish is joining the criticism of President Donald Trump over his meddling in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

"People are blaming Donald Trump for the loss after he got FIFA to help Team USA," Haddish said on the July 7 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," where she is stepping in for host Jimmy Kimmel as he takes a break from the show. "It seems like everything Trump touches dies. Which I guess is why his tiny hands are all (expletive) up."

Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and urged him to review the controversial red card issued July 1 to U.S. men's national soccer team star forward Folarin Balogun, USA TODAY reported. Balogun's red card and suspension for the next U.S. World Cup match were later reversed on July 5. However, the U.S. men exited the tournament after a nightmare performance in a 4-1 loss to Belgium on July 6.

Haddish added she's "really enjoying the World Cup though."

"I have never watched so much soccer in my life and there are so many things to love about it," she said.

Asked for comment on Haddish's remarks, White House spokesman David Ingle replied, "Who the hell is Tiffany Haddish?”

Trump defends review of red card

Trump, meanwhile, defended the heavily scrutinized decision, calling the penalty "very unfair" and "horrible."

"All I did, I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on July 6. "I saw the play, and I'm a person that loves sports and who was a good athlete. I understand sports really well. And that wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other."

Infantino also released a statement on July 6 emphasizing that FIFA's disciplinary committee operates independently, a principle he said he "will always uphold."

Advertisement

"On this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues," he said.

Is there a Trump sports curse? USMNT's World Cup flameout revives the theory

Where is Jimmy Kimmel?

Haddish is filling in for Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," as the late-night show host takes a two-month break. Kimmel has been taking every summer off since 2020 after including a scheduled break in his contract, Deadline reported, during which guest hosts have stepped in for him.

This year's guest hosts so far include Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll.

ABC, in a news release, said Haddish "will lead things off, hosting the week of July 6" with the rest of the guest hosts following through the summer.

Guests on the day of Haddish's July show included Allison Janney for "Minions & Monsters” and Auli’i Cravalho for “Moana” with musical guest Charlie Puth.

How to watch 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET / PT on ABC and streams on Hulu the next day.

Contributing: Patrick Ryan, Kinsey Crowley / USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiffany Haddish roasts Trump over World Cup loss on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”