Donald Trump ‘likes a cliffhanger’ as fans await US president’s first World Cup appearance
· Yahoo Sports
Donald Trump has been front and center at nearly every major American sporting event of the past year — but not, so far, at the World Cup being staged on home soil.
The US president has yet to appear at the tournament he spent months talking up. The opening round has come and gone without him in the stands. With matches now spread across the United States, fans have started asking the obvious question — where is Trump?
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Two sources have offered an explanation. They broadly agree on the likely timeline of his first appearance, but they frame his absence in very different ways. One describes a president too busy to tune in. The other casts it as a deliberate tease.
Photo by Evan Vucci – Pool/Getty ImagesDonald Trump a regular at US sporting events but missing from the World Cup
Trump rarely passes up a big night in American sport. He has shown up at the Super Bowl, sat courtside for game three of the NBA Finals to watch the New York Knicks, and hosted a UFC card on the White House grounds for his 80th birthday.
The World Cup, though, has gone ahead without him.
According to The Telegraph, the reason is straightforward.
A well-placed source said: “The president is preoccupied with the US’s July 4 celebrations. The World Cup just isn’t on his radar at the moment. He will give the trophy at the final, but I don’t think we will see him before then. It’s possible he’ll go to a semi-final, but only if the US get that far.”
The same sources point to a crowded schedule. Trump has had a peace deal to broker with Iran, a trip to the G7 summit in France, and his 80th birthday to mark. The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 — a huge national event — falls on the same day as two last-16 matches.
Andrew Giuliani frames Donald Trump’s World Cup absence as a ‘cliffhanger’
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, tells it differently. Asked when Trump was likely to show up, he leaned into the suspense.
Giuliani said: “I know he’s got a couple of international trips that he has planned as well as Independence Day, so the only thing I’ll tell you about my boss, and I’ve known him for, heck, 30 years, and he’s kind of like an uncle figure to me, he likes a good cliffhanger, right?
“He likes to leave people watching, so all I can tell you is ‘keep tuned in’, and I’m excited to see what the next steps are.”
Giuliani also pointed to Trump’s relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying the two had spoken on Friday.
He said: “The president of FIFA, Mr Infantino, and President Trump, they have a relationship themselves. It’s good to see that. They spoke earlier today.
“From my standpoint, it’s helpful on my end because what the president has done is he’s prioritized this tournament and understanding just how big a World Cup is.”
Photo by Stephanie Scarbrough – Pool/Getty ImagesWhen Donald Trump could finally appear at the World Cup
That leaves a clear set of options for anyone hoping to spot the president in the crowd. If the USMNT keep winning and reach the last four, a semi-final could draw him out.
If they fall short, the wait likely runs all the way to the final.
Either way, Trump is set for an unprecedented role in the trophy presentation. He hopes to be part of the trophy lift alongside the winning team at MetLife Stadium in a few weeks.
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