\n
\n\tBEDMINSTER, United States: Donald Trump will on Sunday showcase his unexpected attachment to a sport in which \u201cAmerica First\u201d remains a dream, for now.
\n\tThe US president is attending the final of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup in his latest use of the beautiful game as a soft power political weapon.
\n\tHis appearance at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, where Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea, is very much a trial run for the World Cup final, which will take place in the same stadium next year.
\n\tTrump has made it clear he sees both tournaments, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as showpieces for what he calls the \u201cGolden Age of America\u201d during his second term.
\n\tThe billionaire Republican\u2019s close friendship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a frequent visitor to the White House, is also a factor in his appearance.
\n\tTrump has kept the Club World Cup trophy next to his desk in the Oval Office since Infantino dropped by in March.
\n\tBut Trump\u2019s embrace of football, or soccer as he would say, is also personal.
\n\tThe president\u2019s 19-year-old son Barron is a fan, as Infantino pointed out in a press conference at FIFA\u2019s new office in Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.
\n\tAsked if Trump liked the game, Infantino replied: \u201cWell I think he does. In his first term as president of the United States there was a soccer goal in the garden of the White House.
\n\t\u201cHe then explained to me that his son loved football, and that he loved the game. And of course when you are a parent, you love what your children love, so I think that he loves it.\u201d
\n\tAs a student at the New York Military Academy, Trump himself also reportedly played the game for a season.
\n\tTrump\u2019s apparent fondness for football may seem unusual for a country where, despite growing popularity, the sport still lags behind American football, basketball and baseball.
\n\tThe former reality TV star has, however, always had an eye for popularity, power and influence. And football in its own way brings all three.
\n\tTrump pointed out when Infantino visited the White House in March that the United States won the right to host the 2026 World Cup in 2018, during his first term as president.
\n\tHe said he was \u201cso sad\u201d because he assumed he would not be president when the tournament came around \u2014 but his 2020 election loss meant that he would after all.
\n\tThe FIFA Club World Cup has meanwhile proved more successful than its critics predicted, with around 2.5 million people attending games across the country and some gripping games.
\n\tInfantino, who is no stranger to dealing with hard-nosed leaders around the world, thanked Trump for his support on Saturday.
\n\tHe said Trump \u201cembraced immediately the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup, and of course of the World Cup next year.\u201d
\n\tInfantino also joked that Trump \u201ccertainly loves as well the trophy\u201d \u2014 whose gold-plated curves match the gilded makeover that the president has given the Oval Office.
\n\tBut in typical form Trump has also mixed political controversy with his football fandom.
\n\tHosting Italian side Juventus in the Oval Office in June, he delivered a diatribe on transgender people in sports before asking the players: \u201cCould a woman make your team, fellas?\u201c
\n\tMost of the players looked bemused before Juventus general manager Damien Comolli replied: \u201cWe have a very good women\u2019s team.\u201d
\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s being very diplomatic,\u201d said Trump.
\n\tTrump\u2019s hard-line immigration crackdown \u2014 part of his \u201cAmerica First\u201d policy \u2014 has meanwhile sparked fears that football fans will be discouraged from coming to the United States.
\n\tIn May, Vice President JD Vance said that 2026 World Cup fans were \u201cwelcome to come… but when the time is up they will have to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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