Monday, June 15, 2026
Trump Didn't Ruin The World Cup - But He Hurt America's Hosting Of It
The following post is by Roey Hadar at MS NOW:
American soccer fans have suffered many indignities over the years: waking up before dawn to watch games overseas, enduring the men’s national team’s failures and listening to Alexi Lalas on television broadcasts.
But this year’s FIFA World Cup was supposed to make up for all that.
More than 1 billion people watch the World Cup final, making it the biggest event in sports. It is a global celebration. And in 2026, that celebration was finally supposed to be coming to our backyard.
Then President Donald Trump got involved.
Through a mix of manufactured crises and an apparent desire to make every major event revolve around him, Trump managed to turn the World Cup into a fiasco. It’s the biggest disappointment for American soccer fans since the men’s team failed to qualify in 2018 by losing to Trinidad and Tobago.
The trouble began in June 2025, when the Trump administration imposed travel restrictions on multiple countries, signaling to fans that the United States might not be a friendly place to visit. From there, longer lines at airport security, a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, threats to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the World Cup, an explicit threat to pull customs officers from airports in some host cities and visa restrictions and denials to some teams all played a part in hurting the tournament.
The World Cup was supposed to be a melting pot of global soccer lovers, drawing visitors from all 48 of the participating countries. But fans from four countries whose teams are in the World Cup — Haiti, Ivory Coast, Iran and Senegal — won’t be allowed in thanks to Trump’s refusal to even temporarily suspend those countries’ travel bans.
One of the tournament’s top referees – Omar Artan – said he was denied entry to the U.S. and held by Customs and Border Protection for 11 hours. The Trump administration said CBP denied him for ties to “suspected members of terror organizations,” but Artan already had a valid visa issued by the State Department.
Iran, currently facing attacks from the U.S. military in a war that Trump entered with no congressional approval and little public support, is set to participate in the World Cup. But even a week from kickoff, the team was still struggling to get visas to let its players get to their matches, forcing it to relocate its base to Mexico.
Even players for ostensible U.S. allies are struggling to get in. Switzerland’s star striker, Breel Embolo, one of the team’s most recognizable players, faced a temporary block on his travel authorization as the U.S. looked into a conviction he had for his role in a fight in 2018.
And the problems are not limited to other countries. American fans hoping to enjoy the matches also have run into corporate greed.
Ticket prices have become so bad that New York and New Jersey’s attorneys general are investigating FIFA for its ticket practices. Asked about similarly high four-figure ticket prices for the NBA Finals, which he attended on taxpayers’ dime, Trump was blasé.
“They can watch it on television. It’s semi-free to watch it on television,” he said. “But that’s the way life goes.”
And for those fans willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a ticket, Trump’s attacks on public transit subsidies and his chummy relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino mean fans will not have an ally in their corner to fight for increasingly awful game-day experiences.
NJ Transit’s decision to put the cost of travel entirely on soccer fans means matches in the New York area could cost close to $100 for round-trip transportation that would normally be less than $15.
For fans who have the money for the tickets and transit, Trump could theoretically be leaning on FIFA to rein in its practices seemingly meant to nickel-and-dime customers. Last week, FIFA reversed course and banned fans from bringing water bottles into stadiums despite many matches being played in temperatures above 80 degrees. The organization also plans to ban tailgating at venues.
But soccer fans will tell you that even if they have qualms about the leadership of a host country, they can still enjoy the game.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia held under the iron fist of President Vladimir Putin did not stop fans from appreciating the ascendance of France’s breakout star, Kylian Mbappé.
Despite the horrors of the construction of facilities and the repression of support for LGBTQ rights at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there was still space to appreciate Lionel Messi finally lifting his first FIFA World Cup trophy for Argentina.
The difference in 2026 is the disruptions are not happening in the background. They are shaping who can attend, how fans travel, what they pay and, in some cases, whether teams can fully participate at all.
The World Cup was supposed to be a celebration of soccer’s ability to bring the world together. Instead, the Trump administration has turned it into a reminder of how quickly politics, bureaucracy and self-inflicted chaos can diminish even the world’s biggest sporting event.
Some Of The Things Trump Has Ruined As He Turns 80
In honor of the occasion, here is a brief and incomplete accounting of what the 47th president of the United States has done to this country, its institutions, its landmarks, and its people in the past 18 months.
He started a war with Iran that is now in its 103rd day, has cost at least $29 billion, killed 13 American troops, injured more than 400, pushed inflation to a three-year high, sent gas to $4.32 a gallon, closed the Strait of Hormuz, and killed 3 Indian sailors in a strike on a tanker this week. He said he loves the inflation. He said he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation. He said he doesn’t care about the midterms.
He tried to put his name on the Kennedy Center. A judge said no. His name came off at 3am Friday behind white tarps while crowds chanted “take it down.” He tried to close it for two years. A judge said no. He fired the board and replaced them with loyalists. A court restored voting rights to the members he tried to silence. The Washington National Opera is now suing for $17 million in donations never returned.
He created a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund by suing his own agency, settling with himself, and directing taxpayer money to his allies. A judge permanently blocked it. He still calls it a great idea. He gave himself permanent IRS audit immunity in the same deal. That part is still in place.
He installed Bari Weiss at CBS News. She fired Scott Pelley for refusing to inject falsehoods into his reporting. She fired the executive producer. She let Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega go. She cancelled Colbert. She installed a tech blogger to run 60 Minutes. His DOJ just approved her taking over CNN too.
He appointed a housing finance regulator with no intelligence experience to run all 18 US intelligence agencies. Seven Republican senators blocked the FISA surveillance program over it. He backed down and nominated someone else. He told the original pick to start firing people and described him as “less shackled”because he had not been confirmed.
He said he loves the inflation. He said he could bulldoze the Statue of Liberty. He tried to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “American flag blue” for $14 million. It grew algae the next day. He wants to build a “Trump Promenade” at the Lincoln Memorial. He proposed a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. He is building a six-story underground fortress beneath a ballroom on the White House lawn.
He fell asleep at the NBA Finals. He fell asleep in the Oval Office during a coal briefing. He fell asleep at a Wisconsin farmers roundtable while they were praising him. Marco Rubio denied under oath that Trump falls asleep in meetings. Rubio was then shown video of Trump falling asleep in a meeting. In the same meeting where Rubio was praising him.
His family made $2.3 billion from crypto ventures while retail investors lost the same amount. His son-in-law is building a $1.6 billion luxury resort on protected Mediterranean wetlands in Albania backed by Saudi money while simultaneously serving as Middle East envoy. His son’s drone company received a $620 millionPentagon contract. He bought TKO stock before announcing the White House UFC fight.
He said the Kennedy Center was dying. He ruined it. He said the reflecting pool was broken. He painted it and it grew algae. He said Iran would be dealt with in weeks. It has been 103 days. He said a deal was coming in two or three days 38 times.
He turns 80. His friends say he can hear the clock ticking. Many of us can too.
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Groups That Americans Say Hold The Most Power - And Groups They Want To Have That Power
These charts are from the YouGov Poll -- done between May 14th and 17th of a nationwide sample of 2,170 adults, with a 2.8 point margin of error.
New Poll Of Voters Gives Democrats A 10-Point Generic Ballot Lead
Trump's War On Culture Is Not A Distraction - He Really Wants To Win It!
The following post is by Symone D. Sanders Townsend at MS NOW:
President Donald Trump got two reminders this week about the limits of his influence.
Despite serving two terms in the White House, remaking the Republican Party in his image and wielding powers that many of his predecessors never enjoyed, Trump encountered setbacks in his efforts to extend that dominance into the cultural sphere.
The most visible moment came at Madison Square Garden, where the president was met with loud boos while attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Less dramatic but perhaps equally symbolic was a federal judge’s decision to reverse an effort to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, forcing the institution to remove it from its branding.
The two episodes represented Trump’s attempts to influence both ends of the cultural spectrum — from the sporting event watched across the country to one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions in Washington.
A lot of people see these as distractions, an attempt to get voters riled up about a side issue while the real fights happen out of sight.
I don’t. I’ve said for years that the culture wars aren’t a distraction; they are the playbook.
Culture shapes identity. It shapes belonging. It shapes what people view as normal, acceptable and true. Long before elections are won or lost, culture helps shape the lens through which people understand politics itself.
Long before he got into politics, Trump sought that cultural legitimacy, making cameos in TV and movies, starring in pizza ads and whining when he didn’t win an Emmy.
When he first became president, it sometimes seemed like he was more excited about the trappings of the office than the tremendous powers at his command. But even as he’s learned to flex those powers in his second term, he still seems to crave cultural legitimacy.
That helps explain the fight over the Kennedy Center.
The battle was never really about a building. It was about what the institution represents. The Kennedy Center occupies a unique place in American civic life, and association with it carries a kind of prestige and legitimacy that politics alone cannot provide.
The same dynamic is visible in America’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
This should be a moment for the country. A chance for Americans to reflect on our history, our triumphs, our failures and the unfinished work of our democracy.
Instead, the line between celebrating the nation and celebrating the president is becoming increasingly blurred.
That is not accidental.
If you can shape the symbols, institutions and narratives that define national identity, you gain influence that extends beyond any election cycle.
And the pursuit of that influence does not stop with sports, celebrities or national celebrations — it extends to the institutions that help Americans make sense of public life.
It’s no coincidence that Trump’s attempts to inject himself into the nation’s cultural discourse are happening as so many of its institutions are under attack, from CBS News to the Smithsonian to our most prestigious colleges.
Trump may have his own personal reasons for craving this legitimacy, but the movement behind him understands its power.
If a political movement can control which facts are reported as news, whose history is highlighted in our museums and what perspectives we’re taught at our colleges, it will have control over our culture itself.
That control is ultimately about determining whose story gets told. Who gets to define what is considered true and what is treated as normal. Who gets heard, and who does not.
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