Trump is attending the FIFA Club World Cup final
Trump and first lady Melania Trump will travel from their golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to East Rutherford 40 miles (64 kilometers) away to watch the final match of the U.S.-hosted tournament between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at MetLife Stadium.
Trump's trip Sunday falls on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt he survived in Butler, Pennsylvania, while campaigning for president.
The president did not have any public plans to mark the date beyond participating in a taped Fox News Channel interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump that aired Saturday night.
Sporting events have made up the bulk of Trump's trips in the U.S. since taking office this year. In addition to his visit this weekend to the soccer tournament, he's attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the Daytona 500 in Florida, UFC fights in Miami and Newark, New Jersey, and the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia.
The president, who has a warm relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has said he plans to attend multiple matches of the World Cup tournament next year.
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Time Magazine
28 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Trump Steals Soccer Champions' Spotlight, Gets Booed by Fans
When English soccer team Chelsea lifted the FIFA Club World Cup trophy on Sunday in New Jersey, its star who scored twice in the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain and was named player of the tournament was blocked from view. Cole Palmer looked perplexed and frustrated as Donald Trump stood in front of him, smiling and clapping, even as FIFA President Gianni Infantino could be seen unsuccessfully urging the U.S. President to move aside so as not to obstruct the team's celebrations. 'I was a bit confused,' Palmer later said. 'I knew he was going to be there, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand where we lifted the trophy.' Chelsea captain Reece James appeared to ask Trump, 'Are you going to leave?' during the presentation and later was asked by reporters about the President's insistence on staying front and center with the team during their big moment. 'It probably highlights how big the tournament is,' James said. 'Before they told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage. I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.' Infantino eventually walked Trump to the back of the group, so Palmer and others could enjoy the spotlight, but not before the White House and President got the photo-ops they wanted. Trump booed as tournament highlights controversies Trump's presence at MetLife Stadium was meant to mark as much a celebration for the U.S. as it was for the sport, with the club tournament final taking place at the same venue where the FIFA World Cup final is set to take place in 2026. But Chelsea and PSG fans seemed to set aside their rivalries and unite around their dislike of Trump, booing him on several occasions throughout the evening, including when he was shown on the Jumbotron during the U.S. national anthem before the match and during the trophy presentation after. Trump, who is largely unpopular in the U.S. and globally, and Infantino, who took over FIFA in 2016 as it was already marred by corruption scandals and has since been accused of disregarding human-rights concerns, have linked arms over the years to try to bring soccer to the U.S. A replica of the World Cup trophy was spotted in Trump's Oval Office as early as 2018, the year that Infantino announced the U.S. would co-host the 2026 international tournament alongside neighbors Canada and Mexico. The Club World Cup trophy also spent some time on the President's desk earlier this year after Infantino presented it to Trump in March The gold, NASA-inspired trophy could be seen in the background of major announcements, 'from nuclear warnings to Iran to celebrating the trade deal with Britain,' according to Sky News. Infantino announced last week that FIFA opened an office in Trump Tower in New York City. The Club World Cup, which was awarded to the U.S. in 2023, was seen by many as a dress-rehearsal for the World Cup next year, and while Infantino hyped it as a 'huge, huge, huge success,' many have disagreed. The club tournament, which was significantly revamped from earlier editions, was largely overshadowed by concerns about commercial interests being prioritized over players' health and fans' experience. 'We may have received some justified criticism,' Infantino acknowledged at a press conference on Saturday. 'There are many elements we can think about, but that will be for later on.' Trump announced in March the formation of a federal task force to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, but it hasn't quelled concerns from many around the world, particularly around heat, safety, and tightened travel restrictions to the U.S. Asked in March about tensions even between the North American co-hosts of next year's tournament, Trump dismissed concerns, saying, 'Tensions are a good thing. It'll make it more exciting.' Trump embraces 'football' in the U.S. While many U.S. conservatives have long disliked soccer, Trump has been known to embrace the sport. Right-wing media outlet the Washington Free Beacon published a 'bombshell' report in 2016 that revealed the then-candidate for the Republican nomination for President had played soccer in high school. 'Most patriotic Americans stop playing soccer at around age nine, because it's lame and rewards weakness. It's also very popular in Mexico,' the Free Beacon explained. 'Soccer games are typically low scoring affairs and, unlike the vast majority of actual sports contests, are permitted to end in a tie. They often do. Free shots on goals are routinely awarded to players who fall down theatrically. Most of the fancy men on the field are not allowed to use their hands, a very important and capable body part. International play is modeled after Barack Obama's global vision, in which the United States is 'just another country' and is happy to secure a zero-zero tie against Togo. The men's national team has been invaded by foreigners. These are a few of the reasons why soccer is fundamentally un-American.' But despite many American conservatives' antipathy, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in the sport, which he says his son Barron is very enthusiastic about. 'It's exciting. My son loves soccer, and he loves watching the World Cup,' Trump said in 2018. 'It's exciting even if you're a non-soccer fan. I'm a soccer fan a little bit, but I don't have much time.' When asked by a reporter on Sunday after the Club World Cup match if he would consider renaming soccer in the U.S. as 'football,' which is what the popular sport is called in most other countries but which is also what Americans call the game that Trump has labeled 'boring,' the U.S. President responded: 'I think we could do that.' Other Administration officials also come under fire Trump was not the only figure to come under fire over the weekend. At the match on Sunday, he and Infantino were joined in the midfield luxury box by several Administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been criticized by many, including prominent right-wing backers of Trump, over her handling of the case surrounding convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, whose 2019 death spawned conspiracy theories that Bondi's Justice Department attempted to dispel last week. Trump defended Bondi amid calls for her resignation or firing in a post on Truth Social on Saturday in which he appeared to contradict the Justice Department's memo that said there were no further files on Epstein to be released. 'Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration … They created the Epstein Files,' Trump wrote. 'LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE'S GREAT! … Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' Elsewhere, Vice President J.D. Vance was also greeted with shouts and boos by protesters as he and his family vacationed at Disneyland in California.'Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you're tearing apart certainly won't,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on X—referring to the Trump Administration's mass deportation campaign, including an ongoing militarized crackdown in California—to which Vance responded: 'Had a great time, thanks.'
29 minutes ago
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LONDON -- LONDON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump will make an unprecedented second state visit to the U.K. between Sept. 17 and 19 when he will be hosted by King Charles II and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Trump, who is a big supporter of the royal family, particularly of the monarch, will be accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump during the three-day visit, the palace confirmed. No U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit. Trump previously enjoyed the pomp and pageantry of the state visit in 2019 during his first term when he was hosted by Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The invitation for the second state visit from the king was hand-delivered by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February during a meeting at the White House. After reading it, Trump said it was a 'great, great honor' and appeared particularly pleased by the fact he will be staying at Windsor Castle, to the west of the capital. 'That's really something,' he said. Precedent for second-term U.S. presidents who have already made a state visit is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W. Bush and Barack Obama. State visits are ceremonial meetings between heads of state that are used to honor friendly nations and sometimes smooth relations between rivals. While the king formally issues the invitation for a state visit, he does so on the advice of the elected government. The visit is seen as part of Starmer's effort to keep Trump close and lessen the impact of some of his polices on the U.K. The relationship between the two appears amicable, and has helped the U.K. from facing the sort of hefty U.S. tariffs that other nations are seeing. But like Trump's previous visit, it's unlikely he will be welcomed by all. Last time, a day of protests saw the flying of a giant blimp depicting Trump as an angry orange baby from outside Parliament. Lawmakers from Starmer's Labour Party have also questioned whether the honor should be extended to Trump at a time that he is supporting Israel's war in Gaza and threatening the sovereignty of allies such as Canada and Greenland. Charles could also face some challenges during the visit because he is head of state of both the United Kingdom and Canada, which Trump has suggested should become the 51st U.S. state. During a speech to the Canadian parliament in May the king highlighted Canada's 'unique identity' and 'sovereignty,' while echoing the words of the country's national anthem when he said 'The True North is indeed strong and free.' State visits to Britain are particularly prized by heads of state because they come with a full complement of royal pomp and circumstance, including military reviews, carriage rides and a glittering state banquet hosted by the monarch. The events normally take place in and around Buckingham Palace in central London. But like last week's and his wife Brigitte, the Trumps will stay at Windsor Castle. Buckingham Palace is undergoing extensive remodeling.
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