On Thursday, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt shared that President Donald Trump will be present at the FIFA World Cup finals this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had mentioned on “Fox & Friends” last month that Trump was expected to attend, but the news has now been confirmed.
Levitt commented that Trump’s attendance represents “a fitting conclusion to a convention that demonstrated America’s ability to host the world on the grandest of stages.”
Infantino also noted that he and Trump would be presenting the FIFA World Cup trophy to the captain of the winning team right on the field.
He stated, “We are going to enjoy the final together with the president and hand over the trophy to the winner, of course we will be together.”
This isn’t the first time they’ve teamed up for such an occasion; last year, at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, they did something similar when Chelsea triumphed over Paris Saint-Germain.
Interestingly, that event took place a year after Trump faced an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. During that final, Trump participated in the trophy ceremony and presented awards to players and referees after Chelsea’s victory, which led to some confusion. Chelsea’s player, Cole Palmer, remarked, “We knew he was going to be here, but we didn’t know he was going to be in the stands when we lifted the trophy, so it was a bit confusing.”
In a notable moment, Trump became involved in a major controversy during the World Cup by requesting a review of Folarin Balogun’s red card. Balogun’s suspension affected Team USA, but he was eventually cleared to play.
Trump explained his perspective, saying, “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes colliding and getting tangled up.” He expressed concern about the impact on Balogun, describing the situation as a “huge stain” had their top player not been allowed to compete.
Balogun acknowledged to CBS that he sensed some nervousness among his teammates due to the unfolding controversy.
Even though Trump hasn’t attended a World Cup game yet, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did make an appearance at the U.S. men’s national team’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12.
The president previously received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. back in December.
Recently, Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, and also hosted UFC Freedom 250 at the White House last month. An IndyCar race is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. next month.
