Joy Reid, former MSNBC host, stated she is openly rooting for African teams to win the World Cup and against Team USA. She expressed concern that a U.S. victory could be exploited politically by former President Donald Trump. On her podcast, sports editor David Zirin told Reid he hopes the United States loses to Belgium to prevent such exploitation, saying, "I find myself really wishing the United States was actually playing a team from the Global South so I could truly root with even more fervor to see them get knocked down a peg, because we know how it's going to be exploited if they go forward in the Cup."

Reid clarified that her support is not just against Team USA but specifically for an African nation to win the entire tournament, stating, "I'm being very open about it. I'm rooting for the African teams. I want one of them to win. I think it would be so great for the Global South for an African team to take home the big prize."

Additionally, Reid said she could not celebrate the Fourth of July over the weekend as a Black person in America. She also announced she is no longer a New York Giants fan due to political reasons involving Jaxson Dart and Trump.

Sources