Amid the WNBA’s ongoing controversy surrounding the Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas incident, President Donald Trump has weighed in on how the Indiana Fever superstar is treated.
Thomas punched Clark in the throat, but wasn’t called for a foul. Later, the WNBA upgraded the incident to a Flagrant Foul 2, handing the Phoenix Mercury forward a one-game suspension.
President Donald Trump Weighs In On Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas Incident
The incident sparked a fierce debate over the excessive physicality Clark often receives from opposing defenders. Many fans and analysts have called out the WNBA and its officials for failing to protect one of the league’s biggest superstars.
President Trump has now made his feelings clear on the matter, calling the treatment of Clark “rather rough.”
His comments came in the wake of the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun, whose red card was suspended and overturned by FIFA after President Trump called for the organization to review the matter.
“I thought your young, wonderful basketball player, Caitlin, I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth. That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event,” President Trump said while addressing the media on Monday.
In the middle of rant about FIFA, Trump says this about Caitlin Clark: “I thought your young, wonderful basketball player — Caitlin — I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth. That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event.” pic.twitter.com/VJEmsolbud
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 6, 2026
During the game against the Mercury, there were several physical plays against Clark, who exited the game during the third quarter after her back injury flared up. The 24-year-old has missed the Fever’s last two games as a result of the injury, but she is hoping to return to action soon. Clark has been dealing with nagging back issues since the start of the season and also missed a game in May because of her back injury.
Following her return to practice, Clark joined the criticism of the officiating and also called for the WNBA to do a better job of protecting its players. Fever head coach Stephanie White has also criticized the WNBA officials. During her postgame presser after the Clark-Thomas incident, she labeled the no-call “absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”
Despite the nagging back issue, Clark is currently the fourth-highest scorer in the WNBA. She is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game, while shooting 43.0% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc.
