Trump marks one-year anniversary of assassination attempt at the FIFA Club World Cup final
EAST RUTHERFORD N J AP President Donald Trump on Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of a failed attempt on his life joining family friends and close advisers to witness Chelsea s dominating FIFA Club World Cup final mastery over Paris Saint-Germain The president joined the players on the field after the match to congratulate the tournament s outstanding performers present PSG players with their runner-up medals and hand Chelsea their championship trophy Trump and first lady Melania Trump were greeted with cheers as they arrived at MetLife Stadium just ahead of the pre-match performance by musical artists Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini And the president got a smattering of boos when he was briefly shown on the stadium s mega-screen The president waved to the crowd and pumped his fist as he and his entourage arrived at the stadium luxury box where they took in the match with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his wife Leena Al Ashqar Other guests spotted in the president s suite included Attorney General Pam Bondi Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Homeland Prevention Secretary Kristi Noem NFL great Tom Brady and media mogul Rupert Murdoch MetLife in a little over a year will host the World Cup final Chelsea of the English Premier League spoiled PSG s bid to win its fourth major title of the season exactly days after PSG clinched Ligue on April The Paris group added the Coupe de France by beating Reims - on May then romped over Inter Milan seven days later in the Champions League Final Chelsea dominated throughout racing out to a - lead in the first half behind a pair of goals from Cole Palmer and one from Jo o Pedro Sunday s match fell on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Butler Pennsylvania while campaigning for president In an interview with his daughter-in-law and Fox News show host Lara Trump that aired Saturday Trump briefly touched on the anniversary but was otherwise muted The U S Secret Arrangement stated last week that six staffers had been disciplined with suspensions ranging from to days without pay over the situation I have great confidence in these people Trump commented I know the people and they re very talented very capable The international sporting match also offered an opportunity for Trump and aides to huddle with Qatari establishment representatives Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in a brief exchange with reporters ahead of the match noted he remained hopeful about Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations Witkoff who joined Trump for the tournament finale appeared to nod affirmatively when sought by reporters if he planned on meeting with senior leaders from the Gulf nation of Qatar which is serving as an intermediary with Hamas in the talks during the match I ll be meeting them Witkoff explained The president who has a warm relationship with Infantino has revealed he plans to attend multiple matches of the World Cup tournament next year that will be held at stadiums in the U S Canada and Mexico Preparations for next year s big soccer moment for North America are well underway But it comes amid heightened tensions between the U S and its neighbors over proposed tariffs immigration and Trump repeatedly saying that Canada should become the st state Trump earlier this year declared the tensions will only make the tournament more exciting Tension s a good thing Trump commented Sporting events have made up the bulk of Trump s trips in the U S since taking office this year In addition to his visit this weekend to the soccer tournament he s attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans the Daytona in Florida UFC fights in Miami and Newark New Jersey and the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia
