Donald Trump arrives by helicopter to attend World Cup final alongside Gianni Infantino

US President Donald Trump took his place at the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Trump arrived at the stadium on Marine One, with the presidential helicopter flying over the stadium about 45 minutes before kickoff. There was little reaction from the crowd as the aircraft passed. The president was seated in a glassed-in luxury section on the west side of the stadium shortly before kickoff, alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Other dignitaries and former players sat nearby, including King Felipe VI of Spain, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Trump has made several appearances at sporting events since his reelection. Last year, he attended the Super Bowl, the US Open tennis, the Daytona 500, and golf's Ryder Cup. This year, he has attended several golf events, the college football national championship game, and Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he was met with boos from the New York Knicks home crowd. Perhaps mindful of that reaction, organizers chose not to show Trump on the stadium's video screens before the match.

Trump's appearance was the first time he has attended a match at this summer's World Cup, which the US co-hosted with Canada and Mexico. He was also due to present the trophy to the winner of the match between Spain and Argentina. He was seen touching the trophy from his seat early in the match. Trump is the first sitting US president to attend a World Cup final on home soil. When the US hosted the tournament in 1994, Trump's predecessor Bill Clinton did not attend the game; instead, Vice President Al Gore presented the trophy.

Trump was front and center for the final of last summer's Club World Cup at the same stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, presenting the trophy to champions Chelsea and drawing loud boos from the crowd. Trump has a close relationship with Infantino, and called the FIFA president to lobby for a review of USA star Folarin Balogun's controversial red-card suspension before their last-16 match. FIFA did reverse Balogun's ban, but the political circus cast a pall over the US team, who exited a promising World Cup with a defeat to Belgium.