The president has long been hostile to international cooperation. But he’s making exceptions to his hardline border policy to welcome the World Cup.
In early June, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency announced on its Facebook page that its “suited and booted” agents would be at matches to the FIFA Club World Cup. Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York-New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee, was startled to see the ominous message, which he worried could have a ruinous impact on tournament attendance.
Trump’s immigration policy was already on full display that week: thousands of Marines and National Guard troops were arriving in Los Angeles to support Trump’s deportation agenda. After city and state officials called the deployment a threat to their sovereignty, Trump and his top advisers blasted them as “incompetent” and unleashed schoolyard taunts on social media.
But when Lasry contacted the White House to express concern about the CBP post, he met a very different response. Andrew Giuliani, who leads a task force on World Cup preparations, reassured Lasry that the Department of Homeland Security would have just a routine presence at this month’s soccer tournament. Giuliani encouraged Lasry to assuage apprehensive fans and send press back to the White House with any questions. The provocative CBP post was later deleted.