Political commentator Van Jones on Monday suggested that President Donald Trump should keep his distance from the professional sports world.
Jones joined CNN anchor Erin Burnett and commentator Gretchen Carlson during a live segment to discuss Trump's appearance at the FIFA World Cup final, where he had an awkward moment standing on the stage as Spain celebrated its win over Argentina and was booed by the crowd.
"He's just not very popular," Jones said. "He just needs to stay out of sports. Anytime he gets involved with sports, something terrible happens. It's like a curse. The only time that the Knicks lost was when he showed up." Jones was referring to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in June that Trump attended at Madison Square Garden.
There have been multiple sporting events that Trump has attended where the home team lost. For instance, he attended the 2025 Super Bowl where the Trump-favored Kansas City Chiefs lost 40-22. Trump also attended a 2019 World Series game during his first term, where the Washington Nationals lost 7-1 to the Houston Astros.
"Listen, I wish he'd get out of politics," Jones added. "We got two more years for that. But you should stay out of sports."