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…
OTTAWA — Mark Carney may be Canada’s loudest booster at the World Cup, but some of his countrymen fear he may be hurting more than helping — because he always does when it comes to sports. In March 2025, the new prime minister joined the Edmonton Oilers for a pre-game skate. That night the Oilers…
SEATTLE — In late May, Greg Moriarty formally presented his credentials to President Donald Trump as Australia’s man in Washington. But it wasn’t until mid-June that Moriarty encountered one of the U.S. officials he most needed to meet: Energy Secretary Chris Wright, whose department plays a key role in critical-minerals deals between the two countries. Moriarty’s…
Second Lady Usha Vance is expected to attend the United States’ final group-stage match this evening in Los Angeles, according to an administration official. Her husband, Vice President J.D. Vance, appeared earlier this afternoon at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in nearby Orange County as part of his book tour. Politics
The triumph of the World Cup’s first two weeks — boosting the U.S.’s global reputation with sold-out stadiums and few logistical complications — has forced Democrats who had criticized President Donald Trump’s role in preparations to grudgingly reconsider. “I think that there was a little bit of like liberal wishcasting that this would maybe be…
The World Cup is the great unifier. Hasan Piker, who will find himself in the crowd along with second lady Usha Vance and former Vice President Kamala Harris at SoFi Stadium for tonight’s game, tells POLITICO he’s backing Turkey tonight. “You got to root for the underdog,” the far-left streamer said. Politics
Here are the likely 2028 presidential hopefuls who have attended a World Cup game so far: Shapiro: 2 matches Newsom: 1 match Harris: 1 match Rubio: 1 match And… according to at least one Democratic strategist, that approach may not be half bad. Matt Bennett, of the center-left think tank Third Way, told POLITICO more…
Finland’s President Stubb on Trump, Putin and the future of NATO lead image Politics
While President Donald Trump himself hasn’t attended a game yet during the World Cup, the rest of his administration has turned out in force at all three U.S. games so far. Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is at the game in Inglewood. Zeldin has clashed with California officials over issues ranging from…
Moderate Democrats are sounding the alarm after massive losses in New York’s primaries. They fear they’re on the verge of losing the party’s ideological civil war — and hurting its electoral chances. Leftist candidates swept a trio of deep-blue House seats in New York City, a seismic victory that toppled two incumbents, including the powerful…
