As controversy swirls over U.S. President Donald Trump's alleged intervention in a FIFA disciplinary decision, online mockery aimed at Trump has followed the American soccer team's crushing loss to Belgium.
According to Britain's The Independent on Sunday, Belgium beat the United States 4-1 in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held the previous day at Seattle Stadium in Washington state, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Romelu Lukaku, who scored the fourth goal, mimicked a dance to the song "YMCA" along with his teammates after scoring — a routine Trump frequently performed during events such as his 2024 presidential campaign rallies.
The Belgian national team also posted a photo on Instagram of Lukaku cupping his ear toward the stands, with the caption "reverse this one too."
The match was played after Trump acknowledged that he had spoken by phone with FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the process of suspending a disciplinary ban on U.S. team forward Folarin Balogun. The episode fueled controversy over Trump's political intervention among politicians and soccer fans.
Within the United States, criticism of Trump's intervention continued. The X account "Republicans against Trump" mocked that Trump would retaliate over the match result by "imposing a 6,000% tariff on Belgian exports." In a following post, it attached a video of Trump dancing with the caption "Let's make it 12,000%."
Podcaster Spencer Hakimian, referencing the war with Iran, wrote jokingly: "[Breaking] Trump says Belgium is two weeks away from completing development of a nuclear bomb."
Other images spread online, including a U.S. map relabeling the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of Belgium," an image of Belgium's famous cherub statue wearing the Belgian team uniform and urinating on Trump, and a composite image of pro-Trump protesters storming a FIFA building in a manner reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) criticized the incident as another example of the "Trump effect," saying, "Trump is like the reverse Midas touch." The remark meant that situations worsen with everything Trump touches.
Meanwhile, before the match, Trump said of the Belgian team: "If they beat us, I'll say it (the match) was rigged, like the 2020 election was rigged, but I won't get into that too much."
