In short
CBC Commotion episode hosted by El Amin, with CBC Washington correspondents Paul Hunter, Willie Lowry, and Katie Simpson, discussing how Donald Trump is inserting himself into major sports events (NBA Finals, UFC, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup) and what that means for politics, diplomacy, and affordability.
Guest backgrounds
El Amin hosts Commotion (CBC). Paul Hunter, Willie Lowry, and Katie Simpson are CBC Washington correspondents.
Key claims
Trump’s presence at sports is a distraction but also “good publicity.” The 2026 World Cup is politically tied to North American trade negotiations (Canada/Mexico/US) and to Trump’s relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Ticketing and transport costs make the tournament politically vulnerable. Visa restrictions for Iran add geopolitical tension.
Notable examples
New Yorkers booed Trump during the NBA Finals anthem; FIFA’s “NAFTA World Cup” framing; Iranian team visas granted only day-before-match; Infantino renting space in Trump Tower; NYC offering ~$50 tickets with free transit; NJ Transit charging $98 vs $13 normally.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONBA Finals and Trump’s Appearance
0:31 to 2:24
Discussion on the NBA Finals and Donald Trump's controversial attendance.
“That's the sport invented by the Canadian.”
World Cup 2026 Announcement
2:24 to 3:18
Review of the announcement of the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by North America.
“I love New York accents, let's just say.”
The Political Landscape of the World Cup
3:18 to 6:10
Exploration of the changing political climate surrounding the World Cup.
“So today we're asking, can Trump ride the World Cup wave?”
Trump's Influence on Trade Talks
6:10 to 8:12
Analyzing how Trump's decisions impact trade negotiations amidst events.
“He's the Hollywood screenwriter who, among his other screenplays, was all the president's man.”
Iran's Complicated Situation
8:12 to 12:11
Discussion on Iran's visa issues and the implications for the World Cup.
“There's no one around him that's necessarily shaping what he might do in the same way that it was in the first go around.”
FIFA and Trump: An Unlikely Alliance
12:11 to 14:00
The relationship between FIFA's president and Donald Trump amid the tournament.
“Now, Paul – So no politics at all, really?”
FIFA's Strategy with Trump
14:00 to 15:17
Learn about FIFA's approach to growing soccer in the U.S. and its relationship with Trump.
“You know, you talk about the immigration issues, Katie, that there is some suggestion.”
Introduction to Stateside
15:17 to 15:54
Get to know the hosts and the aim of the Stateside podcast.
“Welcome to Stateside with Kai and Carter.”
Ticket Prices and Affordability Issues
15:54 to 17:21
Discuss the skyrocketing costs of FIFA match tickets and related affordability concerns.
“Price of tickets to see FIFA matches has also become kind of a hot button political issue here.”
Political Moves by NYC's Mayor
17:21 to 19:10
Explore how NYC Mayor Mamdani is leveraging sports for political gain.
“There's Trump saying I wouldn't pay that kind of money to go see one of these games, even though he will be going to the – I think we understand he's going to the first U.S.”
Show all 12 chapters
Trump's Publicity and Sporting Events
19:10 to 21:51
Analyze Trump's relationship with sports events and the implications of his presence.
“I hadn't even kind of thought of that as a unifying action, but it is kind of fun to partake in a lottery, whether you win or lose.”
Updates on Trump's Name and Political Fund
21:51 to 24:58
Discuss the status of Trump's name at the Kennedy Center and his controversial fund.
“And so can, you know, can Trump ride that wave, you know, amid the booze?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Katie Simpson:Okay, look, you probably noticed that Canadian romance stories are doing so well right now. And this week, fans of Carly Fortune's bestseller Every Summer After, such as myself, finally get to watch it come to life on the screen. My name is El Amin and I host a show called Commotion. And this week we are talking about the new series Every Year After and how well it kicks off the Carly Fortune cinematic universe. On your way to Barry's Bay, find and follow Commotion wherever you get your podcasts.
0:27Willy Lowry:This is a CBC Podcast. Katie, Willie, did either of you catch Game 3 of the NBA Finals last night? Willie, there were no Habs involved. I'm not sure if you would engage.
0:39Katie Simpson:That's the sport invented by the Canadian.
0:43Willy Lowry:Did you watch Game 3?
0:45Katie Simpson:I did not watch, but, you know, I did wake up and check the score. Okay, well, that counts, Katie. What about you? They were close, but couldn't win on home court.
0:55Paul Hunter:Yeah. So I did watch last night knowing that we were going to have this conversation today. But also, unrelated to what we're going to be talking about, I was actually just in San Antonio for a story that... Spurs land. I was. And so the city is excited. I was warned that if the Spurs won while I was there, I was going to experience what's called a honking, where I guess they just all drive around honking their horns on their cars. I don't care what people... When I heard a honking, what do you mean? And no, it's just people driving on the cars, just nonstop laying on that horn. They did not win while I was there.
1:29Paul Hunter:But we all I guess we saw what happened last night. Right, Paul?
1:32Willy Lowry:Yeah. And I mean, I admit I'm one of those idiots who watches the opening tip and then the last two minutes. So that was it for me. But, you know, yes, Donald Trump was there. Spoiler alert. The fan, a lot of the fans anyway, were not thrilled. New Yorkers booed Donald Trump during the national anthem.
1:57Willy Lowry:He could say he's a native New Yorker, but he doesn't live here and he's kind of pooped on us for a while. And, you know, so like, I think this is our time and he's distracting from our time.
2:06Katie Simpson:The president shouldn't be able to cause this much. Like, I don't think he should be able to stop this. I understand they're taking heavy precautions because he's the president and we got a lot of stuff going on in this economy. But I feel like as us Knicks fans, we need to enjoy this moment.
2:24Willy Lowry:I love New York accents, let's just say. Look, I know you two have been busy. Katie, you were, as noted, sort of, you're at the Turning Point Summit for Women in Texas, and we'll definitely be talking more about that in another episode. Willie, I see you're in Jerusalem, wondering where you've been these past few days in the office, reporting on conflict and peace talks, very important stuff, all jokes aside. But look, this week it's hard not to talk about sports.
2:51Katie Simpson:It really is. Between Donald Trump showing up at the NBA finals and hosting a UFC fight this weekend, the FIFA World Cup 2026 also begins on Thursday. Canada, Mexico and the United States are co-hosts. Team Kuzma, anyone?
3:08Paul Hunter:This is the largest tournament in history with 48 teams competing. And like so much that is happening in the world right now, it is undeniably political.
3:17Willy Lowry:The World Cup is the most watched sporting event here on planet Earth. So today we're asking, can Trump ride the World Cup wave? I'm Paul Hunter. I'm Willie Lowry.
3:28Paul Hunter:And I'm Katie Simpson. We are CBC's Washington Correspondents, two blocks from the White House.
3:41Willy Lowry:Eight years ago, FIFA, that's the group that governs International Football Association events announced that it had chosen the United bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States to co-host the 2026 World Cup. On behalf of our United bid, Canada, Mexico and my country, the United States. Thank you so, so very much for this incredible honor. Thank you for entrusting us with this privilege, the privilege of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Those were the days, say? United. The Washington Post editorial board dubbed it the NAFTA World Cup. The idea was to show a united North America to the world.
4:22Willy Lowry:Katie, what's the vibe now?
4:24Paul Hunter:It was so innocent then.
4:25Willy Lowry:The salad days.
4:26Paul Hunter:Oh, you know, Donald Trump, you know, was only threatening to, you know, blow up the North American free trade agreement. No, but so much has changed. The vibe now is this is an example where both Canada and Mexico, as they are approaching the renegotiation of the three-way trade deal for North America, to show to Donald Trump and the United States that all three countries, when they work together, they can do hard things. They are better when they work together and look at what a great success this can be. If things do go according to plan, if everyone has fun, if it's this huge economic success, all of those kinds of things.
5:06Paul Hunter:That's what we know the Canadian prime minister wants Donald Trump to take away from this. I expect it's a very similar situation in Mexico because all three countries need to come together. Well, at least Canada and Mexico are really pushing to come together, sort out their differences when it comes to trade negotiations, find a path forward to ensure that free and fair trade can continue. And of course, you know, things are very difficult in this moment. It's not clear what path there's going to be. And if Canada and Mexico can demonstrate, look, this is a wonderful thing. We work so well together.
5:40Paul Hunter:Let's push this momentum toward the trade talks and, you know, be friends again and all these great things that maybe it could help boost their case. But you know what? Donald Trump cares about what Donald Trump cares about. Trade is going to be trade. Things change on a dime. So even if this goes amazingly well, everyone makes lots of money. Everyone has a great time. Who knows if it can sort of change the vibe when it comes to trade?
6:06Willy Lowry:I mean, I agree is the short answer. I'm going to quote William Goldman. Know who he is? He's the Hollywood screenwriter who, among his other screenplays, was all the president's man. He did a bunch of others in the 70s. And he once said of whether anyone can predict Hollywood box office successes, he said, no one knows anything. And I think that's where we're at now as to whether the World Cup or any sporting event that sort of ostensibly tries to bring countries together, improve the vibe. Does that actually help where things – where the rubber hits the old proverbial road? In this case, trade talks.
6:46Katie Simpson:Yeah, I would just argue the timing of this is kind of wild. Obviously, this bid was put together probably a decade ago. It was awarded in 2018, but fast forward eight years and it's coinciding with the same time that the Kuzma USMC negotiation deadline hits. I mean, talk about adding intrigue to intrigue.
7:13Paul Hunter:Yeah. So we're having this conversation around midday Tuesday. So a lot can change and it can change very quickly.
7:19Willy Lowry:Doug Ford is in Washington this week as we speak. Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade relations, was here last week in the run-up to the World Cup, I guess, in a weird coincidental timing, as you note, Willie. LeBlanc, I think, said his conversations were positive, but there's turbulence, right? So it's not like things are happy, happy, happy just because there's a big sporting event going on.
7:44Paul Hunter:No. And you know what? I think things covering this, what's going on right now with sort of the renegotiation versus what it was like covering it when Trump first was elected and came into office and threatened to blow the thing up and went into the negotiations, all that kind of thing. It's so different, this go around, because this go around, we've seen how Donald Trump really is the ultimate decision maker. There's no one around him that's necessarily shaping what he might do in the same way that it was in the first go around. And so it just adds that volatility. And it's just it's you really don't know what's going to happen until Trump makes up his mind.
8:29Paul Hunter:And so covering it is like, OK, all these little blips along the road are happening. But what matters until Trump makes a decision about what's going to happen?
8:37Willy Lowry:Something I learned a long time ago covering politics is, you know, every government has lower level people, ministers, secretaries, as they call cabinet ministers here, who are at the pointy end of the stick in negotiations and talks. But the overarching question for everybody involved is what does the boss want? And what is the boss? How does the boss feel about that? Because that's what we have to get done. Willie, you're in Jerusalem. So given that, you know, there's back to unity and united. Not a lot of that among the hosts. And the primary host, the United States, is actually at war with one of the teams playing in the tournament, Iran.
9:13Willy Lowry:How's that playing out from your perch?
9:16Katie Simpson:It is another really kind of wild development. This is the first time that we will ever see this at a World Cup where the host country is, of course, at war with Iran. And it's adding a whole level of intrigue and drama to the event. There's questions around visas. The Iranians have had to move their training facility from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. And here's something that's also potentially wild. They could meet in the first knockout round if both finished second in their group. they're on a collision course and they'd play July 3rd. I mean, that would be quite something around the USA at the World Cup.
10:09Katie Simpson:It's happened twice before. Each side has won once. So maybe it's the best set of three. Who knows?
10:15Paul Hunter:On the eve of America's birthday. Oh, yeah. Seriously.
10:21Katie Simpson:You know, let's dive a little bit more into these, into the visa restrictions for the Iranian team. What exactly is happening? How are the Iranians being treated differently from, you know, other countries?
10:33Paul Hunter:So Iranian officials are accusing the U.S. of discrimination and malice with how this is all played out. They say members of the delegation have not been granted visas to enter the U.S., whether it comes to sort of the managers or parts of the delegation. They have their first match against New Zealand in Los Angeles. And as you know, the team was sort of preparing to to get ready for this, they learned that the players are only allowed into the U.S. the day before the match. So Iran says, look, not everyone in the delegation is going to get a visa so that they can enter the United States. They say that the team is only being allowed in the day before the match.
11:15Paul Hunter:Willie, you mentioned that originally they were supposed to be training in Arizona that were sort of where they'd be set up as they go through this tournament. But instead, they have now in Mexico. Now, according to CNN, U.S. officials say that, you know, the necessary visas, everyone who needs a visa has one and that the team can still participate. But an official told CNN, quote, we will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the U.S. under false pretenses. And Marco Rubio has previously testified saying that – Marco Rubio being the U.S. Secretary of State – he said that anyone who's linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard can't enter.
11:55Paul Hunter:So that is what the Americans are saying. Iran argues that the Americans are trying to penalize or hurt or inflict malice upon the Iranian team. And it's – that's sort of where the tensions are in this moment. Now, Paul –
12:11Willy Lowry:So no politics at all, really? Yeah.
12:13Paul Hunter:Why would there be politics in anything? There's never politics in sport, right? Despite three countries hosting, Donald Trump has been front and center through this entire sort of lead up to the cup. And a lot of it has to do with his relationship with FIFA's president, Paul. Tell us about that.
12:31Willy Lowry:Johnny Infantino. Yeah. I mean, look, Johnny Infantino, who runs FIFA, I think it's quite clear. He learned a long time ago how to manage Donald Trump or how to attempt to manage him if that is possible. Look, there's some some great reporting this week on all of this from our friends at The New York Times who point out that FIFA has been renting like unused space in Trump Tower in New York for some time now. How many times have we seen the nice things that Infantino has said about Donald Trump, the nice things he's done to Donald Trump? Give him an invented peace prize. Give him a trophy. Give him a medal.
Read the full transcript
13:14Willy Lowry:Go to the premiere of the Melania documentary, right? Like, make everything smooth. Make nice with Donald Trump because there's a lot of money that can be made here, right? I mean, I think that's, let's be honest about it. That's the driving force in so much of what is going to be going on here the next little while.
13:34Paul Hunter:I will tell you, when Donald Trump, you know, went and accepted the FIFA Peace Prize, there has rarely been occasion where I've seen him beaming more.
13:45Willy Lowry:Trump.
13:45Paul Hunter:Trump. Trump was happy to be there.
13:48Willy Lowry:In other words, this stuff works, right? It didn't work. It didn't work with the Biden administration, right? He tried, and it was cold shoulder stuff from the Biden administration. But he knows that this stuff, I want to say works, or at least it appears to work with Trump. You know, you talk about the immigration issues, Katie, that there is some suggestion. There's a you know, the question was, would would fans, let alone players, but fans from certain other countries, would they have a hard time crossing into the United States for this? And the suggestion is, and it's unclear what the truth is, the suggestion is there's kind of like a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, you know, immigration at the border.
14:22Willy Lowry:They'll look the other way because Trump wants this to go smoothly because Infantino has done what Keir Starmer wasn't able to do when Starmer brought the invite to the king and tried to be nice. Infantino has seemed to understand how to make it work with Trump. And again, what's in it for Infantino, right? Money. What FIFA has long wanted to do is grow this sport into, if it's not the biggest market in the world, it's probably the United States. It's the most significant. This is a consumer-driven economy where people like to spend money. And if FIFA can explode soccer in this country, then it's a win for FIFA.
15:05Willy Lowry:And if we don't know what the goal of Infantino has been throughout this process, but certainly it's it's you wouldn't be wrong to take a guess that that's what it's all about at the end of the day. And so far, it seems to be working.
15:28Willy Lowry:I'm Kai Wright.
15:29Paul Hunter:I'm Carter Sherman. Welcome to Stateside with Kai and Carter. We're a new show from The Guardian.
15:34Willy Lowry:We're talking to big thinkers and the best journalists, just trying to understand the world through smart conversation and honest reporting.
15:40Paul Hunter:We don't have billionaires telling us what to say.
15:42Willy Lowry:Stateside with Kai and Carter will come out three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, starting May 13th.
15:48Paul Hunter:Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
15:54Willy Lowry:Willie, speaking of money, Price of tickets to see FIFA matches has also become kind of a hot button political issue here. How does this giant sports event jive with that word we've been using so often the last little while, affordability?
16:09Katie Simpson:Well, Katie, I've been wondering why Uncle Paul hadn't invited us to any games this summer. And I think I figured it out. Tickets are really, really expensive. They are twice as expensive this year as they were in Qatar in 2022. I believe the cheapest tickets range from$100 to$300, but it goes up pretty steeply pretty quickly. And it's not just the costs of the tickets. It's also the cost of transportation in New Jersey, which is hosting several games. The New Jersey Transit Commission is charging$98 to take people to and from the stadium. Normally it would cost$13. Affordability is a major issue and a major kind of critique of those who are critical of this event.
17:01Katie Simpson:I should say sports in general these days are pretty much prohibitively expensive.
17:09Paul Hunter:Everything is just so expensive when it comes to entertainment value.
17:12Willy Lowry:It's driven by the resale market, isn't it? It's like the problem, it's not even a political thing in a sense. It's capitalism, right? It's like let the market decide. I mean, Trump, I think even on the FIFA tickets, Trump has said that I wouldn't pay that money, you know, notwithstanding the relationship that FIFA has built with Trump. There's Trump saying I wouldn't pay that kind of money to go see one of these games, even though he will be going to the – I think we understand he's going to the first U.S. game at the end of this week. But I'm guessing he doesn't pay for that.
17:45Katie Simpson:Probably not. And Katie, how have the Democrats been able to capitalize on this moment in sport in the way that we see at least Trump attempting to?
17:56Paul Hunter:Yeah, I think we can take a look at what's going on in New York City and Mayor Zoran Mamdani. He is basically one of the most high profile Democrats right now, even though he is a mayor. He is not running for election in the midterm elections. But he really is this high profile influential figure because, A, he can win and he won on a sort of progressive campaign. And the Democratic Party right now is trying to figure out which direction it wants to go in and, you know, what are the messages it's going to be able to deliver in order to try and, you know, gain some momentum into the midterm elections, that kind of thing.
18:28Paul Hunter:But what he's been able to do in New York City is he announced that the city secured about a thousand tickets for games over the course of the tournament for New Yorkers at$50 per seat plus free round trip transportation to the games. there's a lottery system, but, you know, it's going to give New Yorkers something exciting to sort of do, right? And as simple as it sounds, sometimes simple things like that go a long way, because think about everyone who wins one of those$50 tickets, and he can say, hey, you're welcome, I secured this for you. And it's just as simple as that sounds. Sometimes the simple things just make for good politics.
19:10Katie Simpson:I really like that perspective, Katie. I hadn't even kind of thought of that as a unifying action, but it is kind of fun to partake in a lottery, whether you win or lose.
19:21Paul Hunter:Oh, you get excited. And you know, New York City is no stranger to this. Like if you go to Broadway and try to get a hot ticket for a show, by the way, I won lottery tickets to Hamilton with the original cast. I say that all the time because I just want to like humble brag about that, but like with the original cast and And the tickets, because you won the lottery, it's like the Rush lottery. So they were$20 each. You're quivering. I know. No politician was involved in that. But anyway, it's like something that brings people together, gets them excited. But it's simple. It's simple. Now, Paul, the New York City mayor, you know, he's really used the Knicks playoff run to try to leverage some political gains.
20:02Paul Hunter:He's connected basketball to three progressive candidates that he is backing. And Trump has said that Knicks owner, Jim Dolan, who's also a donor, has invited him to the game last night. A lot of politicians try to hop on these, you know, powerful bandwagons to get involved in it. In Canada, too, this is not unique to the United States. You know, is this typically a good political strategy? Can Trump recover from, you know, from the booze last night? Well, I mean. Well, the Knicks lost last night.
20:30Willy Lowry:The Knicks lost, yeah. And by the way, I mean, as soon as, you know, the crowd booed in that clip we played at the beginning. You could argue, well, are they really booing? But they were. Oh, yeah. But that was because Trump was up on the big screen. And as soon as he went off the screen and the Knicks players started, then they went back to cheering. And I think most people there just forgot that Trump was there, effectively speaking. I think sometimes we in the news make more of that stuff than people who are actually at it. But there were a lot of New Yorkers. You talk about Mamdani's approach in New York.
21:03Willy Lowry:Well, because of Trump's visit, that's why they had to close off the watch party outside. And that's what a lot of people were were annoyed about. But, you know, with Trump, I think he's always understood because Trump was smiling while they were booing. Right. He's always understood that that old axiom that any publicity, good or bad, is at the end of the day, is good publicity. You get your name out there. And look, Trump, when he won in 2024, when he when he came back, you know, won the White House again. Man, you talk about winning the lottery because not only the World Cup, which he gets associated with no matter what anybody says about ticket prices or anything.
21:39Willy Lowry:He's got America 250 coming up pronto. He's got the 2028 Olympics, all of this on his watch. And it's all at the end of the day. It's all good stuff. And so can, you know, can Trump ride that wave, you know, amid the booze? I mean, with Trump, again, all bets are off. You never know. But all publicity is good publicity.
22:06Katie Simpson:My first reaction when I watched the clip this morning of the booing was and how Trump reacted because I thought it was a little awkward. His granddaughter that was there looking a little uncomfortable. But, you know, I saw the TV producer that Trump is and he knew good or bad. This is great television. And people are going to be riveted to this.
22:29Paul Hunter:I am going to the UFC fight on Sunday to cover it, but we'll see how that goes. But who knows? All right. Who knows?
22:37Willy Lowry:And we'll want that update next week, Katie. Yeah. That's it for today. Look, we got a quick audience question before we go. Tom Killeen in Toronto asks, quote, I know that the Kennedy Center is more than two blocks from the White House. Nice phrasing, Tom. But can you tell us whether or not DJT's name has actually been removed? And Katie Willey, I did some investigative journalism today.
22:58Paul Hunter:Oh, I'm so excited for you.
22:59Willy Lowry:On the way to the Bureau. I love it. I detoured. That's what I do. I can't help myself. I detoured past, we'll just call it the center, and looked up at the facade. And Donald J. Trump's name is indeed still there. And then I did further research, if you can believe it. And a memo has now gone out. We've heard, you know, his name has been removed from the website. But they got until June 12th, apparently, to take it down. So I took some pictures and they'll be saved for posterity. But we'll see what happens. I mean, June 12th is still a long way away. And there's another update. I think a long time ago we talked about the Gordie Howe Bridge.
23:40Willy Lowry:Well, word now from Mark Carney, anyway, that it will finally, after some pushback, some apparent pushback from Donald Trump. This is the bridge spanning from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit. Massive investment, going to be a huge boon to Michigan and Ontario. Finally, official opening ceremony per Mark Carney at the end of the week. Yeah.
24:04Paul Hunter:So Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, he was speaking, he's down here trying to, you know, work on the trading relationship.
24:10Willy Lowry:Don't mention the ad.
24:11Paul Hunter:Yeah, yeah, exactly. He had said that possibly he had heard that the bridge might that there might be two stories to this. So casting some doubt on whether this bridge is going to open. And we just have new information from CBC's Jen Barr. This is according to a White House official. The president's position on the Gordie Howe Bridge has not changed. The administration remains committed to securing the best possible deal for the American people. And reiterating earlier this year that President Donald Trump argued that the U.S. should receive proceeds from bridge tolls. So it looks like there could be some, perhaps not a resolution to some of the challenges related to this and more sort of bumpy things ahead.
24:57Willy Lowry:Twas ever thus.
24:57Paul Hunter:Another quick update. I know that people have sort of been asking about this, about what is happening with Donald Trump's anti-weaponization fund. That is basically the tax pay$1.8 billion of taxpayer money that is supposed to go to people who feel like they were victimized by the past Biden administration, whether they were arrested, charged. It's mostly talked about in context of people who are arrested, charged, related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. They could possibly qualify for compensation. It drew so much backlash on Capitol Hill, even from Republicans, that Todd Blanch, the man that Donald Trump wants to become the attorney general, he distanced himself saying, telling lawmakers that it was dead.
25:42Paul Hunter:But here's the thing. Donald Trump likes the fund and he keeps defending it and he doesn't sort of put the final nail in the coffin. They're trying to say that a judge has shut this thing down, but a judge has temporarily blocked it. But if there's not a nail in the coffin directly from Donald Trump, where is it? If you have something you'd like to ask or feedback about what you're hearing, send an email to WashingtonPod. That is all one word at CBC.ca. That's WashingtonPod at CBC.ca. Or leave a comment for us on Spotify.
26:18Katie Simpson:And if you like what you're hearing, spread the word. Tell a friend about us and follow us on your favorite podcasting app so you never miss an episode. Uncle Paul, do you have a favorite app yet? I keep meaning to ask you.
26:29Willy Lowry:They're all my favorite, as you well know, Willie. So diplomatic. Thanks to you, too. We'll see you next time. Willie, get yourself back here. We miss you in D.C. Fingers crossed next week. OK. Bye, you two.
26:42Paul Hunter:Bye.
26:42Katie Simpson:See ya.
26:53Katie Simpson:For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.
From the publisher
The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off this week. With Canada, Mexico and the United States co-hosting, America and Israel at war with Iran, plus midterm elections around the corner, it's an undeniably political world event. In this episode, Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry dive into the politics of sport and ask: Can Trump ride the World Cup wave?
