Trump Claims “Rigged Election” During FIFA World Cup Announcement – Yahoo

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows during what should have been a straightforward ceremony establishing a White House task force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when he made an unusual claim suggesting election fraud worked in his favor.

During the Oval Office signing event, Trump veered from soccer talk to politics when reflecting on how the United States secured hosting rights during his first administration. “When we made this, it was made during my term, my first term, and it was so sad because I said, can you imagine, I’m not going to be President, and that’s too bad,” Trump said. “And what happened is they rigged the election and I became President, so that was a good thing.”

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The claim came as FIFA President Gianni Infantino stood beside Trump during the ceremony. Infantino had been discussing the economic impact of the upcoming tournaments, projecting a $40 billion boost to the U.S. economy and the creation of approximately 200,000 jobs.

Some analysts have interpreted Trump’s similar January statements as referring to the 2020 election rather than the 2024 contest. They suggest Trump was claiming that if the 2020 election hadn’t been “stolen” from him—an allegation he has repeatedly made since his defeat by Joe Biden—he would have finished his second term by 2024 and wouldn’t have been eligible to run again, thus missing the opportunity to be president during these international events.

Unlike Trump’s previous statements about election fraud, which typically alleged rigging against him in the 2020 election, his comments during this FIFA ceremony specifically stated that election rigging resulted in him becoming president—suggesting manipulation in his favor rather than against him.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament held in North America, with matches spread across venues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The announcement also highlighted the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which will feature top club teams competing in 11 American cities.

Trump expressed satisfaction at being in office for three major upcoming events: “We have the Olympics, the World Cup, and number 250,” referring to America’s 250th birthday celebration. “You don’t get very much bigger than that,” he added.

During the ceremony, Infantino presented Trump with the official match ball and unveiled the unique FIFA Club World Cup trophy. When asked about U.S. relations with co-hosts Mexico and Canada amid ongoing trade tensions, Trump suggested the friction might enhance the tournament: “Tension’s a good thing. Even for the World Cup? Yeah, I think so. I think it makes it much more exciting.”

Department of Homeland Security officials outlined security preparations for the tournaments, including plans for incident command centers across host cities and coordination with local law enforcement.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to draw approximately 10 million visitors to North America and generate significant economic activity across the participating cities.

Watch the full C-SPAN clip below or here:

The first time Trump made the claim can be seen below:

[Original January statement from Capital One Arena: “And, you know, it’s only because they rigged the election that I’ll be your president, representing you there. You know, I got both of them, I got the Olympics and I got the World Cup. And I said, you know, ‘it’s too bad one was in 2026 and the other was in 2028.’ I said, ‘I won’t be there, I won’t be your president,’ but then they rigged the election, and now we won, so I’m going to be your president for the Olympics and for the World Cup.”]

Latest clip:

[Oval Office statement: “When we made this, it was made during my term, my first term, and it was so sad because I said, can you imagine, I’m not going to be President, and that’s too bad. And what happened is they rigged the election and I became President, so that was a good thing.”]