Is Trump about to ruin the World Cup?

Jenna Amatuli· Host0:00

This is The Guardian.

Donald Trump· Soundbite0:01

It's amazing because it's United States. You don't think of- What are the economic benefits? We, I call it soccer, you know, it's, it's just easier to do.

Jenna Amatuli· Host0:15

Donald Trump is using some of the world's most popular sporting events as his own personal stage.

Donald Trump· Soundbite0:21

World Cup is great. It's the most successful they've ever had ticket-wise. They've never had anything that sold so quickly.

Jenna Amatuli· Host0:27

But has the president ruined the biggest World Cup in history before it's even started?

Kareem Zidane· Guest0:31

Nothing about this is a unifying or impressive World Cup. This truly is a joyless event.

Jenna Amatuli· Host0:37

I'm Jenna Hamatuli, in for Jonathan Freedland, and this is Politics Weekly America. This week, I'm joined by Kareem Zidane, an investigative journalist who covers the intersection between sports and politics. Kareem, lovely to have you on the podcast again.

Kareem Zidane· Guest0:54

It's lovely to be here, Jenna.

Jenna Amatuli· Host0:55

So we're kind of chatting at a crazy time in New York, uh, where I'm reporting live from. I'm a native New Yorker, so pretty much like everybody else in the city right now, the only thing we want to talk about is the Knicks and the NBA finals. So to get into the politics of it all, Donald Trump famously showed up on Monday night to watch Game 3 between the Knicks and the Spurs, causing quite a bit of chaos both inside and outside Madison Square Garden, and it wasn't quite the welcome he was expecting, right?

Kareem Zidane· Guest1:27

Not at all. I mean, this is a