Speculation is rife that the “Trump curse” is back after President Donald Trump backed Argentina over Spain in the World Cup final.
Trump threw his weight behind Argentina ahead of the final in New Jersey, telling Fox’s Jenny Taft in a pre-recorded interview that “it’s hard to bet against Messi.”
“I knew you were going to ask. I thought about it a lot,” Trump told Taft. “I hate to get involved, even though politically it doesn’t matter so much. The head of Argentina is a friend of mine. He’s done a terrific job. But I would say that it’s hard to bet against Messi.”
Following the South American side’s 1-0 defeat against Spain – during which Argentina failed to register a single shot on target and had midfielder Enzo Fernandez sent off – social media was alight with fans speculating that the “Trump curse” was back.
“EVERYTHING Trump touches dies,” quipped the Republicans Against Trump X account, sharing a clip of the president’s comments.
Trump’s intervention in sporting events is not always a welcome one at the games he attends or for the teams he backs.
After the president revealed he stepped in to get USA striker Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned so he could play in the last 16 against Belgium, the team crashed out of the tournament, losing 4 - 1.
“Overturn this,” the triumphant Belgium team responded on social media.
In June, when Trump went to Madison Square Garden to watch the New York Knicks play Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, the curse reared its head again.
Trump’s attendance broke the Knicks’ 13-game playoff winning streak.
“He’s a curse to every team that he picks,” a Knicks fan told Variety outside of the stadium after the defeat. “He picked the Chiefs to win. They lost. He went to a Mets game. They lost. He went to the Knicks game, picked them to win. We lost.”
Still, after the Knicks went on to clinch the NBA championship on June 13, some fans declared the Trump curse was broken.
There was more evidence of an apparent curse after Trump attended a Washington Commanders game in November 2025, which saw the team defeated by the Detroit Lions 44-22.
To celebrate a touchdown, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown did the “Trump dance,” which supporters claimed came back to bite him — the team collapsed in the season, losing five of their last eight games, and missed the playoffs. Former NFL star Kenny Stills posted a meme of the dance on social media, simply responding, “Trump curse.”
And it isn’t only sports on which the Trump curse leaves its mark. “Trump has an almost supernatural knack for taking situations that are perfectly manageable and transforming them into catastrophes,” The Independent’s Holly Baxter wrote, giving the example of the Great American State Fair, which suffered crowd chaos and logistical failures.
There was also the president’s $16 million refurbishment of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has succumbed to algae blooms and a damaged bottom surface following a paint job, which Trump has blamed on “deranged vandals.”
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