United States President Donald Trump had a pretty busy weekend marked by a high-profile public appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup Final, a major foreign policy announcement on Ukraine, and new tariff measures targeting key trade partners.
On Sunday, July 13, President Trump attended the final match of the FIFA Club World Cup held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match began at 3:00 p.m. local time and ended with Chelsea Football Club defeating Paris Saint-Germain by three goals to zero.
Trump walked onto the pitch alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino to present the trophy and medals. As his image appeared on the stadium video screens during the national anthem, the crowd responded with loud boos. The negative reaction was repeated when Trump returned to the field after full time.
Nevertheless, during the ceremony, Trump handed the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James, but did not leave the stage afterwards as expected. Instead, he remained in place during the team’s celebration. Infantino exited the camera frame while Trump remained in full view. Reece James commented on the interaction, saying, “To be honest, it was quite loud. I could not hear too much. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”
Speaking to a TNC Correspondent, Joshua A. who’s an avid Chelsea fan commented on Trump’s surprise appearance: “He’s not familiar with the sport, that’s why he didn’t know that he’s not supposed to join them to celebrate. The United States is not a country where soccer is fully acknowledged.”
What they recognize as soccer is different from Europe’s, he said.
Cole Palmer, who scored twice in the match, said, “I knew he was going to be here but I did not know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy. I was a bit confused, yeah.” Another player, Levi Colwill, added, “They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage, and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”
Many spectators at the stadium were believed to be from England and France, which may have contributed to the widespread boos during Trump’s appearance. The match took place on the one year anniversary of the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, an event that nearly cost him his life during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Later that same day, Trump spoke with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington D.C., where he announced that the United States would provide Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. He said the European Union would reimburse the United States for the full cost of the equipment.
“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there is a little bit of a problem there. I do not like it,” Trump told reporters.
The president did not give a specific number of missile systems to be sent. However, he hinted at a major shift in U.S. policy, suggesting that offensive weapons might soon be included in aid to Ukraine. According to a report from Axios, Trump is preparing to unveil a new strategy that significantly expands military support to Ukraine, a move that would mark a departure from his earlier efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Trump made headlines with another fresh round of tariff measures. On Sunday, he officially informed Mexico and the European Union that they would face thirty percent tariffs beginning in August 2025. In addition, he announced a fifty percent tariff on imports from Brazil and new tariffs ranging from twenty five percent to forty percent on imports from over a dozen countries, including some long-standing allies of the United States.
“These countries are going to pay us one hundred percent for what they get. That is the way we want it,” Trump said.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury released a report on Friday, July 11, showing that government revenue exceeded spending in the month of June. The government collected five hundred twenty six billion dollars and spent four hundred ninety nine billion dollars, resulting in a twenty seven billion dollar surplus. This surplus matched the total amount of revenue collected from tariffs during the month.
“Imported goods prices are down this year, falling even faster than overall goods prices,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
He stated on social media that fears of inflation caused by tariffs had not materialized and predicted that tariff revenues would reach three hundred billion dollars by the end of the year. So far in 2025, the government has collected one hundred eight billion dollars from tariffs.
While some economists and international partners have expressed concern over the aggressive trade policies, several Republican lawmakers have praised the measures as necessary to finance Trump’s proposed economic package, which includes a permanent extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
