US President Donald Trump's fingerprints are all over the hosting rights for this year's World Cup, the most-watched sporting event in the world. For the first time since 1994, a US team will compete on American soil, marking a turning point in international soccer and a testament to Trump's personal influence.
The plot thickens when looking back at how this deal was made. In 2017, while Trump was in his first presidency, nations began bidding to host the World Cup. What some might see as an opportunity for the US to showcase its prowess on the world stage may actually be a case of President Trump taking credit for something that's been years in the making.
However, one fact is clear: it would have taken far more than just Trump to secure this bid. The United States joined forces with Canada and Mexico at the last minute due to concerns that America alone could not win the bid. This was largely because of the FBI's criminal investigations into FIFA and the Department of Justice's involvement.
It also appears that Trump has been given credit for securing the deal, likely to his own advantage as he now claims victory in a major world event. While it is unclear exactly how much the three countries have agreed on financially, there are hints of significant federal security funding being provided by the US government to host cities.
Trump's relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino has also drawn attention. The two men appear to be close friends, and their bond is rooted in a shared admiration for each other's power and influence.
Infantino has visited Trump multiple times at Mar-a-Lago, staying longer than any other world leader during his second term. A strange development given the general trend of countries distancing themselves from the outgoing US president.
As some speculate that Infantino may have been overly enthusiastic about praising Trump in the days following the Nobel Peace Prize announcement – a distinction with no real meaning to FIFA that somehow seemed to magically appear in Infantino's public statements on the day of its announcement - others believe Infantino simply loves being around influential and powerful people, including those who are rich and famous.
One fact remains: FIFA needs the support it is getting from Washington. The organization's World Cup draw was notable for awarding President Trump a "Peace Prize". FIFA has never given out such an award before – but there are theories that Infantino may have been more interested in pleasing his friend, or at least using this as leverage in securing financial and diplomatic concessions from the US government.
The US will host 11 World Cup games across 11 cities - the country which secured most of the revenue generated by FIFA's global governing body.
However, it also appears there may be some winners and losers among participating countries. There are four nations currently under travel bans that cannot participate in the tournament as a result of their nationals being unable to enter due to strict visa requirements.
Ultimately, it seems that Trump has managed to secure major concessions for FIFA by hosting the World Cup in America. The question now is whether those who provided him with support during his first presidency will continue to do so under his second term as US President.
The plot thickens when looking back at how this deal was made. In 2017, while Trump was in his first presidency, nations began bidding to host the World Cup. What some might see as an opportunity for the US to showcase its prowess on the world stage may actually be a case of President Trump taking credit for something that's been years in the making.
However, one fact is clear: it would have taken far more than just Trump to secure this bid. The United States joined forces with Canada and Mexico at the last minute due to concerns that America alone could not win the bid. This was largely because of the FBI's criminal investigations into FIFA and the Department of Justice's involvement.
It also appears that Trump has been given credit for securing the deal, likely to his own advantage as he now claims victory in a major world event. While it is unclear exactly how much the three countries have agreed on financially, there are hints of significant federal security funding being provided by the US government to host cities.
Trump's relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino has also drawn attention. The two men appear to be close friends, and their bond is rooted in a shared admiration for each other's power and influence.
Infantino has visited Trump multiple times at Mar-a-Lago, staying longer than any other world leader during his second term. A strange development given the general trend of countries distancing themselves from the outgoing US president.
As some speculate that Infantino may have been overly enthusiastic about praising Trump in the days following the Nobel Peace Prize announcement – a distinction with no real meaning to FIFA that somehow seemed to magically appear in Infantino's public statements on the day of its announcement - others believe Infantino simply loves being around influential and powerful people, including those who are rich and famous.
One fact remains: FIFA needs the support it is getting from Washington. The organization's World Cup draw was notable for awarding President Trump a "Peace Prize". FIFA has never given out such an award before – but there are theories that Infantino may have been more interested in pleasing his friend, or at least using this as leverage in securing financial and diplomatic concessions from the US government.
The US will host 11 World Cup games across 11 cities - the country which secured most of the revenue generated by FIFA's global governing body.
However, it also appears there may be some winners and losers among participating countries. There are four nations currently under travel bans that cannot participate in the tournament as a result of their nationals being unable to enter due to strict visa requirements.
Ultimately, it seems that Trump has managed to secure major concessions for FIFA by hosting the World Cup in America. The question now is whether those who provided him with support during his first presidency will continue to do so under his second term as US President.
. I mean, come on, Trump's "personal influence" got a team set up just in time? No way. The US, Canada, and Mexico all banded together because they knew it'd be a pipe dream for the US to win solo. And what's with the FBI and DOJ sniffing around FIFA like a bad habit? That's gotta count for something. Not buying the "Trump's credit where none is due" narrative 
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it's going to be lit! and can you even imagine trump making it happen all by himself? lol no way, it was a team effort for sure. but seriously though, this is gonna be huge for america and for soccer fans worldwide. I mean who wouldn't wanna watch the world cup in the us?! 
plus, it's not like we're getting ripped off or anything... 
can't wait to see all the games and just vibe out with my squad while cheering on our favorite teams! 
But honestly, I think we should be grateful that Canada and Mexico came in at the last minute and helped secure the deal for us. It's like, if America went solo, who knows what would've happened? 
And yeah, Trump getting all the credit for this is pretty rich given how much work FIFA put into making it happen... it's almost like he just showed up and said 'hey, I'm gonna make this happen' 
I guess it's good for FIFA that they got some major concessions out of it... but at what cost? 
- it's crazy how much influence a single person can have, especially when it comes to something like the World Cup! Interesting 
that Trump's involvement has led to some major concessions for FIFA, but at what cost? Are there gonna be any countries feeling the pinch because of this deal? Also, gotta wonder what's really behind that "Peace Prize" award... was it just a ploy to get more support from the US government or something? 
. Maybe he just likes being around powerful people? That's not exactly breaking news, is it?
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I think people are giving Donald Trump way too much credit for this whole thing. I mean, come on, the US has been bidding for the World Cup hosting rights for years, and it's not like Trump just swooped in and won it all by himself. He's definitely got some friends at FIFA, though 
- Gianni Infantino loves a good PR stunt, and having the President of the United States as his BFF is definitely a win-win for him. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to give out a fake "Peace Prize" to Trump just to get on his good side? 
(btw, who actually cares about a "peace prize" from fifa lol)
... like, Trump's fingerprints are definitely all over this World Cup deal, and it's weird that he's getting all the credit for something that was probably years in the making. And what's up with him being friends with Infantino - have you seen those pics of them together at Mar-a-Lago?