JULY 23, 2026

Rep. Jasmine Crockett draws criticism after linking World Cup fan sentiment to Argentina's "racist history" at congressional hearing

During a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggested that a "racist history" explained why many World Cup fans appeared to root against Argentina in the tournament's final. Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino presenting the trophy to the Spanish team.

At a Tuesday subcommittee hearing, Rep. Jasmine Crockett remarked that the FIFA World Cup "captured the imaginations of the entire world when they saw all of these people of color that was playing for all these teams." She then asked a witness to explain why, in her view, much of the world appeared to be rooting against Argentina in the final.

When the witness responded that Spain may have attracted support because it "had the best team," Crockett replied, "There's also a racist history that exists as it relates to Argentina." Subcommittee Chair Rep. Timothy Burchett moved the hearing along shortly after the exchange.

The sole source covering this story — Fox News — framed the moment primarily through the response it generated online, leading with the word "roasted" in its headline and foregrounding social media criticism and commentary from conservative figures. Fox quoted columnist Kelly Rae Robertson calling Crockett "insufferable" and her comment "delusional," political commentator Riley Gaines questioning why the topic arose in a congressional hearing, and conservative commentator Eric Daugherty calling Crockett's remarks indicative of low intelligence.