President Donald Trump stepped into one of sports' oldest arguments on Friday, suggesting Americans should join the rest of the world in calling soccer "football," even if that means rethinking what to call the NFL's game.
Trump made the remarks at Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during the final draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
Moments earlier, Gianni Infantino, the president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, presented Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
Trump then appeared onstage with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as the three leaders helped conduct elements of the draw to place qualified teams into groups.
As he reflected on watching the sport, Trump argued the current U.S. terminology is backward.
"But when you think about it, shouldn't it really be called — I mean, this is football. There's no question about it," Trump said.
"We have to come up with another name for that. It really doesn't make sense when you think about it. This is really football."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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