It isn’t every day that a U.S. President gives his take on a foul made during a WNBA game by Caitlin Clark against Alyssa Thomas, but Donald Trump did just that while talking about a completely different sport.

"I thought your young, wonderful basketball player, Caitlin, I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth," Trump said while responding to a question about Folarin Balogun's overturned red card on Monday, July 6. "That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event."

Trump's remark traced back to June 24, when Alyssa Thomas hit Clark in the throat during the Mercury's 111-109 win. Officials missed the foul live, but the WNBA later upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, adding a suspension and a fine.

That decision reignited a conversation Clark herself has tried to move past. Speaking on July 3, she pushed back on the idea that one incident should define the league's growing season.

"There's so much amazing talent, and there's so many amazing players that are playing at an incredibly high rate," Clark said. "I think it's all of our jobs to help refocus the narratives."

Her statement is quite valid, considering her performance on the court. Clark is the fourth-highest scorer on the team, averaging 21.2 points per game, 8.2 assists, and 43.0 percent shooting, which makes her a marked player in the defense of the opposition.

This shows how Clark operates ever since she came back into practice following her back injury, an attitude that criticizes officiating but aims at focusing on the overall pool of talent in the league.

Even as all the talk about officiating and comments from Trump continues, there are games for Clark and the Fever to be played, including a tough road game coming up.

Fever Look to Extend Streak Against Struggling Sparks

Indiana carries a two-game winning streak into Los Angeles on Wednesday, hoping to build on a blowout win over these same Sparks back on June 27.

Kelsey Mitchell has been scorching from deep, hitting 39.7% of her threes while averaging 21.9 points a game. Clark, still working back from her back injury, has missed two straight but remains the engine behind Indiana's 8.2 assists per game.

Los Angeles enters in far rougher shape, dropping three straight and missing leading scorer Kelsey Plum to a leg injury.

Ogwumike has carried the offensive load, averaging 16.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, but the Sparks have struggled defensively, allowing 88.9 points a night.

The history between these teams favors Indiana too. Their last meeting on June 28 ended in an 111-87 rout, with Mitchell dropping 26 points in that win alone.

Can the Sparks find a way to slow down Clark and the Fever, or does Indiana's winning streak grow to three?

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta