News Vérité

None dare call him partisan, but our Soccer-Fan-in-Chief — or is it Futbol-Fan-in-Chief? — Donald Trump has used his infamous phone to get USA National Team striker Folarin Balogun reinstated. Balogun was given an infamous red card in his last game for an inadvertent ankle stomping of a rival player, meaning he would have to miss tomorrow’s game against Belgium. Trump intervened by calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the penalty. Some days later — meaning this morning — the call paid off as Infantino managed to get the striker’s penalty converted to a yearlong probation. Though red flags are not contestable under FIFA rules, there is something called Article 27, which allows for conversion to what amounts to soccer parole. Though using Article 27 is rare, it was invoked just this past year for superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. who was set to miss three games because of an elbowing incident and ultimately received a similar probation.  The Belgian football association is unhappy with today’s reversal. protesting that the “decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations.”  Trump, however, is elated, writing on Truth Social: “Thank you to FIFA for

Most of you are no doubt too young to remember, or perhaps don’t even care. But, in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt, then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig told the world that he was in charge of the government. He made the statement because Vice-President George H.W. Bush was inbound on a flight and not in the nation’s capital. “I, Al Haig, am in control here at the White House,” he told reporters assembled in the Press Room. “I’m in control here and not to worry.”  The statement immediately set off arrogance alarms. The Secretary of State is nowhere in the chain of command when a president is unable to serve. After the Vice-President comes the Speaker of the House of Representatives. With that as background, President Trump — who obviously is in command at the White House — was asked about a meeting reportedly requested by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We get along very good. [Netanyahu] knows who the boss is,” Trump told Axios in response to the meeting question, referring to himself. Evidently, Trump thinks the Israeli chain of command starts with him, as he also does with NATO and all of

President Trump is spending the night at South Dakota’s Mt. Rushmore to deliver a speech and greet July Fourth. What he really wants, however, is to have his image added to the four already there. See the rendition above. Never mind that it’s been deemed impossible to carve another image, as the mountain is too unstable. If Trump can build a White House Ballroom and fix the D.C. Reflecting Pond, however, surely he can figure out how to get his eternal likeness rendered onto a silly mountain. Kristi Noem, former South Dakota governor and departed Homeland Security chief, once gave Trump a mock-up of Mt. Rushmore with him added. “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump replied in appreciation. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has indicated that there’s room for President 45/47 on the hillside. Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna has even introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to have Trump carved into history. Geologists warn that further drilling for a Trump likeness could weaken the Abraham Lincoln image, potentially causing it to crumble to the ground. My guess is that Trump would be delighted to take Lincoln’s place. He already claims to be Abe’s equal, if not outright superior.