From UFC to FIFA: Trump's Domestic Trips Are Dominated by Sports
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President Donald Trump will travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday to attend the FIFA Club World Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea—his latest in a string of high-profile sports-related trips across the United States since his second term began.
The President and first lady Melania Trump are set to make the 40-mile journey from his Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, on the one-year anniversary of the assassination attempt he survived in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The president did not schedule any public commemorations for the date aside from a pretaped Fox News interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, which aired Saturday night.
A Newsweek review shows sports outings have constituted the bulk of Trump's domestic travel since January 20, outpacing trips for disasters, political rallies, and official ceremonies.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino after unveiling the 2025 Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office at the White House on March 07, 2025...
President Donald Trump speaks alongside President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino after unveiling the 2025 Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office at the White House on March 07, 2025 in Washington, D.C. MoreWhy It Matters
Major national sporting events have provided Trump a highly visible platform, enabling his continued outreach to a broad base and signaling his affinity for popular American pastimes.
Trump's appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup final also serves as a preview of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across North America.
What To Know
Trump's domestic travel schedule for 2025 has prominently featured major U.S. sporting events. According to travel logs and contemporary media reports, these included Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans, the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, UFC fights in Miami and Newark, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, and the opening of the LIV Golf League in Miami.
Other categories of presidential travel have included visits to disaster-affected regions—such as trips to North Carolina and California in January to survey hurricane and wildfire damage—political and GOP fundraising rallies, ceremonial events like commencement speeches, and official observances, including Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump has also frequented his own resort properties, notably Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, for personal retreats or closed-press political dinners, but these have generally not been categorized as public events.
Relationship with International Sports Leaders
Trump has cultivated a warm relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has visited the White House multiple times. The decision by FIFA to open an office at Trump Tower in New York City, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, has drawn additional attention.
"FIFA [is] a global organization [and] to be global, you have to be local, you have to be everywhere, so we have to be in New York—not just for the FIFA Club World Cup this year and the FIFA World Cup next year—we have to be in New York as well when it comes to where our offices are based," Infantino said during a visit to Trump Tower, according to a press release from the event.
What Happens Next
The White House has not released additional details on forthcoming presidential travel or planned appearances at World Cup fixtures beyond the president's own statements that he intends to attend multiple matches next year.
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