"Hatred Over Homeland"

President Trump ensured America competed at full strength, yet political hatred drove some Americans to cheer for Belgium, exposing how division now outweighs patriotism itself.

Most people think the greatest threat to America comes from across an ocean or somewhere beyond our borders. They’re wrong. The greatest threat is sitting right here in our living rooms, scrolling through our phones, poisoning our judgment one headline at a time. We’ve become so consumed with politics that we’ve forgotten something embarrassingly simple: you’re supposed to want your own country to succeed.

That reality hit me while sitting yesterday in my neighborhood coffee shop.

The espresso machine hissed in the background as four people at the next table launched into what can only be described as a performance of moral outrage. Every sentence was filled with words like “corrupt,” “improper,” and “abuse of power.” They weren’t debating facts. They were reinforcing each other’s anger.

Their target, of course, was President Donald Trump.

The latest offense? News that the President had personally intervened with soccer officials to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension before the United States Men’s National Team faced Belgium.

Then one of them delivered a line that made me stop stirring my coffee.

“I hope the U.S. loses,” he said without hesitation. “That’ll show Trump. I’m rooting for Belgium.”

For a second, I honestly thought I had misheard him.

Here were American citizens, sitting in an American coffee shop, openly cheering against their own country; not because America had done something wrong, but because they couldn’t bear the thought of Donald Trump getting credit for something that might go right.

Think about how insane that is.

My history with Donald Trump is well documented. I've praised him when I believed he was right, and I've criticized him when I believed he was wrong. That's what makes this situation different. It deserves an honest assessment, not a reflexive political reaction.

What I witnessed wasn’t thoughtful political disagreement.

It was blind political tribalism.

Somewhere along the way, people stopped asking whether something was good or bad. Instead, they ask only one question: Who benefits politically?

If the answer is Trump, then the position must automatically be wrong; even if the outcome objectively benefits the United States.

That’s not critical thinking.

That’s ideological surrender.

Let’s remove the politics for a moment and look at what actually happened.

Balogun’s red card wasn’t simply controversial. It was widely viewed as a terrible officiating decision that should never have stood. The suspension fundamentally altered America’s chances before the match even began.

Trump stepped in and applied pressure to have the suspension reviewed and lifted.

Whether you love him or hate him, the result was straightforward.

America’s best striker was allowed to compete.

That’s called making sure the contest is decided on the field.

Ironically, Trump’s intervention also benefited Belgium.

Last night’s match wasn’t close.

Belgium dominated from the opening whistle. They controlled possession, dictated the pace, exposed defensive weaknesses, and proved they were the better team. There were no excuses. No controversy. No endless debates about what might have happened if America’s best player had been available.

Because he was available.

Belgium earned that victory against the strongest version of the United States.

Imagine the alternative.

Suppose Balogun never plays because of a suspension everyone agrees shouldn’t have existed. Belgium wins the same match.

What follows?

Months of complaints.

Years of revisionist history.

Claims that Belgium only won because America was missing its top scorer.

Every conversation about that game would begin with an asterisk.

Instead, Belgium leaves with something far more valuable.

A clean victory.

No caveats.

No excuses.

No endless “what ifs.”

Sometimes fairness benefits both competitors.

This was one of those moments.

Yet none of that mattered to the people sitting beside me.

They weren’t interested in competitive integrity.

They weren’t interested in fairness.

They simply wanted America to lose because they believed Trump’s political fortunes might lose with it.

That’s where political hatred becomes something far more dangerous.

You stop separating the country from the politician.

You convince yourself that national failure somehow counts as personal victory.

It doesn’t.

When you start rooting against your own team simply because someone you dislike might receive credit, you’ve surrendered your perspective to your politics.

Disagree with presidents.

Challenge them.

Vote against them.

Hold them accountable.

That’s exactly how our system is supposed to work.

But don’t confuse opposition with self-destruction.

Wanting your country to fail just to deny someone a favorable headline isn’t patriotism. It isn’t accountability. And it certainly isn’t principle.

It’s resentment masquerading as conviction.

Yesterday, President Trump pushed to ensure America’s best player took the field. Belgium responded by proving they were the better team anyway.

That’s exactly how sports are supposed to work.

The tragedy isn’t that Trump made the call.

The tragedy is that too many Americans have become so consumed by political hatred that they’d rather watch their own country lose than admit the outcome was fair.

We used to argue about how America could win.

Now, too many people seem satisfied as long as someone they dislike loses; even if the country loses right alongside them.

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