Donald Trump’s 2025 Sporting Appearances and Strategic Use of Sport for Political Influence
In 2025, Donald Trump made headlines as the first sitting president to attend major sports events including the Super Bowl. His sports engagements also featured high-profile appearances at the Daytona 500, where Air Force One and The Beast paced the field, NCAA men’s wrestling championships, UFC events in Miami and New Jersey, and the FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium. Additional notable visits included the Ryder Cup at Bethpage and a LIV Golf event at his Doral resort.
The US Open men’s final prompted the US Tennis Association to request broadcasters to censor protests or reactions, reflecting the heightened political sensitivities surrounding sport. By the end of the year, Trump had continued his sporting crawl, attending the Tigers-Yankees game in the Bronx, Lions-Commanders in Landover, and the Army–Navy game in Baltimore.
At the World Cup draw, he was awarded FIFA’s Peace Prize, symbolizing an end to parody and bolstering his public visibility. Analysts argue that Trump leverages sport as a platform for maintaining relevance and building a donor network, with influential figures such as Miriam Adelson backing his campaigns behind the scenes.
Sport is portrayed as a pipeline of Americana and a mechanism to galvanize conservative voters through culture-war issues, including debates over transgender participation in women’s sports. Looking ahead, the 2026 World Cup in the United States is anticipated to be a major event Trump will use to assert international legitimacy. His favorable relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and a planned celebration of his 80th birthday on the White House South Lawn during a UFC event on the fourth day of the World Cup are key elements of this strategy.
