Donald Trump's sports curse timeline: Why fans think president is to blame for World Cup and more recent losses
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Donald Trump's sports curse timeline: Why fans think president is to blame for World Cup and more recent losses originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There is no doubt U.S. president Donald Trump is a sports fan, something that dates back to well before his political career.
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After attending a handful of games and events during his first term, Trump has become even more visible in sports during his second term, attending the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and more.
After the United States' World Cup exit on the heels of Trump's push for Folarin Balogun's red card to be rescinded, however, some fans are starting to wonder whether there is a "Trump curse" impacting teams.
Here's a look at the evidence that Trump has brought a bad omen to certain teams.
MORE:Belgium mocks Donald Trump after eliminating USA
Donald Trump's sports curse timeline
2019: Nationals lose third consecutive World Series game
Trump wasn't quite as active on the sports front during his first term, but he did attend a few major games and events. Because the Washington Nationals reached the World Series for the first time, Trump was able to stay local and attend Game 5 against the Astros.
Trump wasn't warmly received in deep blue Washington D.C., and the Nationals simply didn't play well. Washington lost its third consecutive game, falling behind 3-2 in the series. The loss ensured the Nationals lost every home game they played in the series, as they dropped Games 3 and 4 as well without Trump in attendance.
Once the series shifted back to Houston, the Nationals got their momentum back and won their first championship.
2025: Trump attends Super Bowl, roots for Chiefs in blowout loss
Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl when he arrived in New Orleans to watch the Chiefs face the Eagles in February of 2025.
While Trump doesn't always take sides when he attends games, he openly said he would root for the Chiefs after receiving support from Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany. Mahomes has three championships to his name, but a fourth wasn't in the cards with Trump in attendance. Kansas City fell behind 34-0 and suffered a brutal 40-22 defeat to prevent a three-peat.
MORE FOLARIN BALOGUN NEWS:
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- Trump admits to calling FIFA before red card reversal
- Explaining FIFA's little-used Article 27 rules
- So how good is Folarin Balogun, really?
- Revisiting 1962 World Cup red card reversal controversy
2025: Trump attends USA's Ryder Cup loss
Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Ryder Cup when the United States hosted the USA vs. Europe event in 2025, but it quickly went south for the hosts. Europe took a commanding lead over the U.S. early on, and a strong performance by the Americans on the final day was too little, too late.
2025: Commanders blown out by Lions with Trump in attendance
Trump isn't necessarily known to be a Commanders fan, but he was in their home of Northwest Stadium for a demoralizing 44-22 loss to the Lions in November of 2025. Trump visited the Fox broadcast booth and spoke highly of Commanders QBs Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota — Mariota was filling in for an injured Daniels — but Washington's leaky defense cratered in the loss.
2026: Knicks lose NBA Finals Game 3 with Trump in attendance
The Knicks won 13 consecutive games during their unbelievable championship run in 2026, starting with three straight against the Hawks, followed by sweeps of the 76ers and Cavaliers and two wins over the Spurs on the road.
When Trump decided to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the momentum shifted for the Knicks. New York lost for the first and only time past the first round, attempting to mount a signature comeback in the final minutes but falling just short with Trump watching alongside owner James Dolan.
The Knicks won the next two games without Trump in the building, including a historic 29-point comeback to knock off the Spurs in Game 4.
While the Knicks lost the only game Trump attended, one could push back on the idea of a "Trump curse" with the fact that the NBA team he roots for won its first championship in 53 years during his presidency.
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2026: USA suffers World Cup elimination after Folarin Balogun saga
Trump didn't attend any World Cup game involving the United States, some believe he cast a cloud over the team by asking FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card and automatic one-game suspension against star Folarin Balogun.
The USA won three of its first four matches at the World Cup, with the only defeat coming in a game against Turkey that was meaningless for both teams. After Balogun's red card against Bosnia was stunningly suspended by FIFA a day before the Americans' matchup against Belgium, questions about FIFA corruption grew, and Trump admitted that he reached out to Infantino to ask about the situation.
While Trump's influence on the decision isn't clear — Infantino said he told Trump the suspension was already being reviewed by an independent body — many fans believe the saga had an impact on the American squad in an ugly 4-1 loss to Belgium.
MORE:Why Folarin Balogun was still fined for suspended red card
Is there a Donald Trump sports curse?
Those are all examples of losses Trump has (indirectly) taken as a sports fan, but if you are a sports fan, you probably know well that you can't win all of the time, just as you can't lose all of the time.
Does Trump have wins? There are some examples. A well-known fan of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Trump cheered for the Patriots when they made their runs to the Super Bowl during his first term, and New England won two of its three appearances in that span.
One could also point to the United States winning gold in men's hockey for the first time in 46 years during Trump's presidency. While many were unhappy with Trump's response to the win, that gold medal is one of the seminal American sports achievements on the international stage this century.
Trump has also attended many neutral-site sporting events without a known rooting interest, including Army-Navy games and multiple College Football Playoff championship games. Whether the curse can extend to those events isn't clear, but by and large, they have gone off without a hitch.