The same media who tells Trump to stay away from events, such as the NBA finals, wonders where Trump is
How much longer can Donald Trump go missing from the World Cup?
The person who shaped the tournament in his image has been invisible since it started.
Some of soccer’s biggest names have come to play at the World Cup: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and now even Cristiano Ronaldo have left their mark on the score sheet.
But one key player who loomed over just about every step of pre-tournament preparations has been notably invisible: Donald Trump.
Pre-tournament fears that the American president would trample on the soccer jamboree have, so far, proved largely unfounded after the first two weeks of competition. Trump has yet to attend a match, and even as the U.S. team mounts its best World Cup performance in decades he has done little to claim the success as his own.
So he’s not super involved and the media complains.
Aside from persistent complications surrounding the Iran squad’s entry and exit to the U.S. for games, and the ban on a Somali referee from entering the country before the tournament started, political incidents involving the Trump administration and soccer — or leaders of other World Cup countries, including the neighboring co-hosts with whom he often spars — have been few and far between.
Because Trump specifically picked out that 1 ref and said “not him”
No ICE arrests around matches. No heavy-handed policing like soccer fans sometimes suffer in Western Europe. No beef between Trump and Democratic leaders of cities and states where some of the tournament’s highest-profile matches have been played.
So, ICE is not rounding up illegals? They are there to stop human trafficking, drugs, and other issues, as are members of foreign agencies. Policing is a light touch unlike in Europe? No beefs with wacko Dems? It’s almost like Politico’s writers are whining that they have nothing to complain about with Orange Man Bad so they will be mad that there is nothing to complain about with Orange Man Bad
In an interview last week with POLITICO, Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said her administration had worked with the U.S. government “around transportation funding, security funding. That’s the way it should be. There should be that kind of work and coordination.”
Trump allies are on the same page as the tournament progresses serenely through the group stage, beyond continued griping about high ticket prices and transport to and from some stadiums.
“Why won’t Trump do or say something Mean! There are no Mean Tweets! Arrglebargle!”
This week, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino confirmed what many have expected: Trump plans to attend the final on July 19 and help present the winner’s trophy. Can a president who loves the spotlight stay away till then?
Can these Credentialed Media folks not write in TDS? Really, I don’t think Trump, like most Americans, cares about soccer.
As for transportation, how’s things going?
