Trust U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to make any moment awkward.
The Texas Republican shocked people gathered in the Oval Office Monday into a “brief moment of silence” after openly acknowledging that President Donald Trump tampered in the FIFA World Cup tournament by asking the governing body to review a red card given to the U.S. team’s star player, Raw Story reports.
Over the weekend, Politico reported that the White House contacted FIFA officials and urged them to rethink its suspension of the U.S.’s Folarin Balogun — something FIFA did, clearing him to play in Monday’s match.
“On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,” Cruz reportedly told Trump at Monday’s White House event promoting so-called “Trump Accounts,” or stock market investments for kids.
The remark elicited a hushed round of nervous laughter followed by silence, according to Raw Story.
Seconds later, a grinning Trump called Cruz’s remark “interesting,” setting off another round of awkward titters, the news outlet reports.
Then, in an apparent effort to make sure everyone knew exactly what he as getting at, Cruz called Trump’s effort to put this thumb on the tournament’s scale “spectacular,” according to Raw Story.
“There was a reason the FIFA trophy stood here for as long as it did,” the senator added in apparent reference to Trump’s stoking controversy by keeping the original 2025 Club World Cup trophy after a ceremony last year at the White House.
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