Donald Trump has claimed that the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics are his to host because the 2020 election was “rigged”, telling a reception for Fifa in New York that he “was supposed to not be here right now”. The US president, who would have been in his second term had he won, said: “As fate would have it, I’m president. I said, you know, I was supposed to be president for eight years, the polls showed it, everyone showed it. They rigged the election, and what did I get? I got the World Cup, I got the Olympics…” The remarks come days after Trump renewed his baseless claims of a stolen election in a primetime TV address, alleging “sinister” Chinese meddling and a “deep state” cover-up. During his first term, the US secured both the 2026 tournament – co-hosted with Canada and Mexico – and the 2028 summer Games in Los Angeles. At the Manhattan event, Trump also boasted about personally lobbying Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to overturn US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia, a decision that sparked international backlash. “I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation,” he said. “I had no idea what was going to happen.” Trump is due to attend Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina.
The US president’s latest intervention comes as the UK prepares for a change in leadership. After 25 years in politics, Andy Burnham is about to become prime minister, yet he has said little about foreign policy. The New Statesman reports that diplomats have been left “frustratingly short-changed” when seeking his views. The pressing question is whether Burnham will continue Keir Starmer’s cautious approach of edging the UK closer to Europe while trying not to offend the US, or align with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s assessment that Trump has created a “rupture in the world order”. The decision will define Britain’s posture on the global stage at a moment when the US president is openly celebrating what he claims is a stolen mandate.
“Trump claims rigged election gave him World Cup and Olympics; Burnham faces foreign policy test.”