Donald Trump faced allegations of double standards following criticism from the White House towards Keir Starmer for supposedly endangering lives by not changing the kick-off time for England’s recent World Cup match. Just a day earlier, Trump himself disregarded weather warnings to proceed with his Fourth of July speech.

There were concerns about the match against Mexico potentially being disrupted by a thunderstorm, which could have led to its cancellation if lightning had struck nearby. Ultimately, the game started an hour late due to the storm.

Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and head of the White House World Cup task force, responded to claims that Trump influenced FIFA to lift a ban on Team USA striker Folarin Balogun before their match against Belgium. Giuliani pointed out Starmer’s refusal to allow a change in match time as a more significant decision.

Giuliani highlighted a past incident where three individuals died during Mexican celebrations after a match, clarifying that it was due to asphyxiation and not weather-related. Trump himself had overridden a decision to cancel his Fourth of July speech on the National Mall a day prior.

Critics, including Lib Dem culture spokesperson Anna Sabine, accused the White House of hypocrisy, emphasizing Trump’s similar actions to ensure his firework display proceeded despite adverse weather conditions just a day before. No casualties were reported during the firework display despite lightning strikes, but twelve people required hospitalization due to extreme heat during the US capital’s heatwave that day.