Trump taps Andrew Giuliani to lead 2026 World Cup task force
Trump taps Andrew Giuliani to lead 2026 World Cup task force
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Trump, Carney debate annexing Canada as 51st state
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump debated annexing Canada as 51st state during a White House visit.
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump named Andrew Giuliani, son of close Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, executive director of the president's task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the U.S. prepares to host to the international event.
"I've known him for a long time. He's a highly competitive golfer ‒ which I mean, really good ‒ and he's also a highly competitive person," Trump said, introducing Andrew Giuliani to the post during a May 6 task force meeting at the White House featuring FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Andrew Giuliani, who worked as a White House aide during Trump's first term, lost the 2022 Republican primary for New York governor to Lee Zeldin, who went on to lose to Gov. Kathy Hochul in the general election.
Giuliani's father, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, is a longtime Trump associate who was indicted in Georgia and Arizona for his role in helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election results. Rudy Giuliani has pleaded not guilty.
More: FIFA says World Cup, Club World Cup could bring $47B in economic impact to US
The World Cup task force, chaired by Trump with Vice President JD Vance as the vice chair, includes other members of Trump's Cabinet. The group, created by a March 7 executive order, has been tasked with assisting on the planning, organization and execution of events surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which begins in June.
The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994. The 2026 World Cup of 48 national teams will bring 78 matches to 11 host cities in the U.S. The tournament will consist of 104 matches overall across North America, with additional games set for Canada and Mexico.
"One hundred and four games, Mr. President. One hundred and four Super Bowls in one month, " Infantino said to Trump said. "We'll have 6 billion viewers. The final alone will attract between two and three billion viewers. This is 15 times more than the Super Bowl."
More: Lionel Messi is thinking about playing in 2026 World Cup. Here's what he said.
The inaugural 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, featuring 32 soccer clubs from across the world competing in 63 matches, begins June 14 in Miami. Ten additional U.S. cities will host matches, with the finals set for July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"These events will attract millions of passionate fans around the world, including my son," Trump said, referring to his 19-year-old son, Barron Trump. "This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and the greatness of America, and we can't wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Tuchel runs into early problems with England as critics circle
Hired amid skepticism because of his nationality, German coach Thomas Tuchel was brought in as England manager to get the national team from soccer's birthplace 'over the line' at a World Cup for the first time since 1966. One year out from the 2026 tournament in North America and Tuchel has already run into problems — and is feeling the wrath of England's fans, too.


USA Today
32 minutes ago
- USA Today
ICE raids meat production plant in Omaha, dozens detained
ICE raids meat production plant in Omaha, dozens detained WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - An immigration raid on Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, the Homeland Security Department said. U.S. Congressman Don Bacon told local media 75-80 people were detained. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid happened at a plant of Glenn Valley Foods. The food packaging company said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status. Chad Hartmann, president of Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, said the plant that was raided used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees' immigration status. He told Reuters that when he said this to a federal agent, the agent responded "the system is broken" and urged him to contact his local congressional representative. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on U.S. President Donald Trump's promise of record-level deportations. The White House has demanded the agency sharply increase arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally, sources have told Reuters. More: Curfew enacted for parts of LA; Newsom says Trump chose 'theatrics over public safety' Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse, according to migrant advocates. Local police in Omaha said they were informed by immigration officials about the raid in advance while the company said it got no notice about the operation ahead of time. Hartmann said federal agents had a warrant that said they had identified 107 people who they believed were using fraudulent documents. "This was the largest worksite enforcement operation in Nebraska under the Trump Administration," the Homeland Security Department said on X, adding no law enforcement official was hurt. ICE said a criminal investigation was ongoing into what immigration officials called a large-scale employment of immigrants who are present in the U.S. illegally. More: In LA's Paramount neighborhood ICE raids hit hard. Here's why. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and federal law enforcement partners, executed a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods, today, based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States," an ICE spokesperson told an ABC News affiliate. More than half of all meatpacking workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank. Rights advocates, including the ACLU of Nebraska, condemned the raid. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry)
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." - 'Wish him well' - The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days as Musk described the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised," Trump told reporters. Musk, who was Trump's biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, also raised the issue of the Republican's election win. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," he posted, adding: "Such ingratitude." Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Musk had alleged that the Republican president is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on X. "That is the real reason they have not been made public." Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim. He appeared to have deleted those tweets by Saturday morning. bur-sco/dhc