Inside Trump's World Cup No-Show: Prez 'Wary' of Being Booed and Saving Himself for 'Handing Over Trophy' in Ratings Boom
Donald Trump has yet to watch one World Cup match, despite hyping the tournament for months.
June 30 2026, Published 7:20 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has raised eyebrows by failing to attend a single World Cup match, despite hyping up the tournament for months.
RadarOnline.com can now reveal the president, 80, was expected to be a presence at many of the matches, having hailed the number of tickets sold by FIFA and branding the spectacle "the most successful World Cup they've ever had."
Trump Saving Himself For 'The Major Event'
Trump has been tipped to attend the final of World Cup.
But according to Barack Obama's former media director, Federico de Jesus, Trump's World Cup no-show is not out of character – as he's saving himself for the "ratings" boom.
He told the BBC, "Look at when he has attended other sports events. He went to the Super Bowl (last year in New Orleans), not regular-season games. It's the main event – the World Cup final – where the ratings will be. Expect the same again."
De Jesus believes Obama "would definitely have approached it differently," suggesting that he would have attended the opening ceremony "and been a gracious host and diplomat."
Trump 'Wary' Of Being Booed At Matches?
Trump fears a negative reaction from 'international' fans, claims Barack Obama’s former media director.
However, he points out Trump's personality is drastically different to Obama's.
Indeed, the Commander-in-Chief missed his eldest son Donald Jr's wedding last month, citing "circumstances pertaining to government."
De Jesus also believes Trump may be "wary" after being booed when he became the first U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals in New York earlier this month, especially given "the more international crowd" seen at World Cup matches.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously claimed the intention is for Trump to attend the final in New Jersey on 19 July and to present the trophy, and the president has confirmed that he has been asked to do so.
'He Likes To Leave People Watching'
Trump played an active role in World Cup draw with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House's World Cup task force, shares the view that Trump is waiting for World Cup fever to explode before making an appearance.
Guiliani, who is the son of Rudy Giuliani, told The Telegraph: "I know he's got a couple of international trips that he has planned as well as well as Independence Day, so the only thing I’ll tell you about my boss, and I’ve known him for, heck, 30 years, and he’s kind of like an uncle figure to me, he likes a good cliffhanger, right?
"He likes to leave people watching, so all I can tell you is ‘keep tuned in’, and I’m excited to see what the next steps are."
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The president was caught napping while attending NBA finals match.
Another source who spoke to the newspaper said the the World Cup isn't on Trump's 'radar' right now.
"The president is preoccupied with the U.S.’s July 4 celebrations," the insider said.
"The World Cup just isn’t on his radar at the moment. He will give the trophy at the final, but I don’t think we will see him before then. It’s possible he’ll go to a semi-final, but only if the U.S. get that far."
If Trump does attend a World Cup match he won’t want a repeat of one of his recent sporting appearances.
He was spotted seemingly dozing off during the New York Knicks’ Game 3 NBA Finals clash at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.
