It appears that Donald Trump has taken a liking to soccer.
So much so that the 45th and 47th president isn’t ruling out a mandate requiring that all Americans call the sport by what many believe to be its proper name: football.
On Sunday, Trump attended the FIFA Club World Cup final, which saw Chelsea top Paris Saint-Germain to win the inaugural event. And midway through the the Blues’ 3-0 victory, the former star of The Apprentice expressed some confusion over what he should call the sport while being interviewed by DAZN’s Emily Austin.
“Well it’s a big thing and [FIFA president] Gianni [Infantino]’s a friend of mine, he’s done such a great job with the league and with soccer — or they would call it football, but I guess we call it soccer,” Trump said. “I’m not sure that change could be made very easily, but it’s great to watch.”
Austin, however, offered a potential solution. Perhaps the President could issue an executive order mandating that those in the United States refer to soccer as “football.”
“I think we could do that,” Trump replied with a laugh. “I think I could do that.”
Austin’s suggestion and Trump’s response were obviously each made tongue-in-cheek — and would never fly considering the country’s own obsession with American football — but it was certainly fascinating to see Trump embrace the world’s game over the weekend. Whether the feelings have been reciprocated by the football/soccer community is another story, as the 79-year-old’s refusal to leave the stage as Chelsea lifted its latest trophy generated its share of negative feedback.
While it hasn’t been uncommon for Donald Trump to attend sporting events throughout his presidency, his fandom has typically been most associated with more American sports such as football, baseball and, of course, UFC. But if this past weekend was any indication, he won’t be hard to find next summer as the United States prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
