White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai on Monday dismissed as “asinine” the observation that President Trump’s push to overturn a red card suspension for U.S. soccer player Folarin Balogun highlights a contradiction in his stance on birthright citizenship. Balogun, a 25-year-old forward born in New York City to a Nigerian mother, would not be eligible to represent the United States without the very policy Trump has sought to restrict.
Desai, speaking to NewsNation host Blake Burman on “The Hill,” argued that the president has consistently criticized what he views as the unfettered nature of birthright citizenship. “What the president has regularly called out is the fact that birthright citizenship is unfettered,” Desai said. “It was meant originally, as the president discussed before, the babies of freed slaves, that they would have American citizenship and have the rights of Americans, which we fought an entire Civil War to guarantee.”
The controversy stems from Balogun’s red card during the U.S. squad’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 last week. The incident triggered an automatic one-game suspension for Monday’s round of 16 match against Belgium. However, on Sunday, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced it had delayed the suspension for a one-year probationary period, allowing Balogun to play.
President Trump had personally reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with whom he has a close relationship, regarding the red card issued by referee Raphael Claus after video review. Infantino, who does not sit on the disciplinary committee, said Monday that the judicial bodies of FIFA “are independent” and decide cases based on applicable regulations and specific facts. Mohammad Al Kamali, the chairman of the disciplinary committee, also stressed the body’s independence from political influence, noting it did not overturn the red card but suspended the implementation of the ban under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
Balogun’s unique path to U.S. citizenship underscores the irony. His mother, a Nigerian-born London resident, was unable to board a flight back to England because airline employees deemed her too pregnant to fly, leading to his birth in New York City. Shortly after, they returned to the U.K. Balogun later chose to play for the U.S. senior national team, a decision made possible solely by the country’s birthright citizenship policy.
Trump, however, attempted to restrict birthright citizenship with a day one executive order after returning to office in January 2025. That order required a baby born on U.S. soil to have at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent legal resident. Neither of Balogun’s parents met that criteria at the time of his birth. The Supreme Court struck down the order last week, ruling the restrictions unconstitutional. Republicans are now mapping a legislative offensive in response to the ruling.
Desai specifically targeted “birth tourists” — individuals who come to the U.S. to have children and then leave — claiming they are exploiting the policy. According to the Migration Policy Institute, such births account for up to 26,000 of the 3.5 million babies born in the U.S. annually. “That’s not what birthright citizenship was intended for, and the administration will continue to look into this issue based on the law,” Desai said.
Ultimately, the debate over Balogun’s suspension became moot after Team USA lost 4-1 to Belgium, its largest margin of defeat in a World Cup match since 2006. The loss continues a pattern for the U.S. men’s team, which has been eliminated in the round of 16 in four of the last five World Cups, the only exception being 2018, when the team failed to qualify.
