Donald Trump did not receive the response he had hoped for after calling the USMNT before their World Cup opener.
Following Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa and Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States of America remain the only World Cup host yet to play their opening match.
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The US begin their World Cup campaign by hosting Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
With matches against Australia and Turkiye still to come in the group stage, securing three points against Paraguay could prove vital to the US’s chances of topping Group D.
Before the game, it emerged that US President Trump would not be present, as he is staying in Washington to prepare for another major sporting event this week.
USMNT Captain Tim Ream refuses to acknowledge Trump phone call pic.twitter.com/ujgCJr01Zo
— FactPost (@factpostnews) June 12, 2026
But that did not prevent Trump from showing his support, as he chose to phone in with “a message of support” ahead of the US’s first World Cup match vs. Paraguay.
However, the call did not go as smoothly as the President would have wanted.
After Andrew Giuliani, the Executive Director of the White House’s Task Force for the World Cup, handed the phone to manager Mauricio Pochettino and captain Tim Ream, the conversation became awkward.
“I’m standing in front of 26 champions and a great coach… They’re ready to go and run through a wall,” Giuliani said as he passed the phone to Pochettino.
Speaking to Pochettino, Trump said: “I just called to say you’re a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach.
“I think you’ve got a real good chance of going all the way.”
After grimacing and laughing at the remarks, Pochettino replied: “Thank you so much for your support, Mr. President.
“We’re going to do everything to make you proud and all the people here in this country.”
Meanwhile, Ream, seated right next to Pochettino, stayed completely silent and did not acknowledge Trump at all.
Both Pochettino and Ream’s reactions drew significant attention, with many fans commenting on the awkward clip on social media.
Reacting to the video, one fan wrote on X: “Poch looks nervous as hell (probably because he knows almost all his players don’t want to hear from Trump) and Ream looks absolutely miserable. They couldn’t even show the other players. Love this team.”
While another added: “They don’t look excited to have him invading their moment with his phone call.”
One wrote: “Tim Ream doesn’t look like he approves of this tomfoolery.”
With another fan demanding: “We need the player angle i can only imagine how little they want to be there.”
While US fans focus on their team’s opening match, Trump remains in Washington as final preparations for UFC Freedom 250 continue ahead of the event on Sunday evening.
As part of the celebrations for both the US’s 250th anniversary of independence and Trump’s 80th birthday, the UFC is staging a historic card on the South Lawn at the White House on Sunday evening.
Ahead of the UFC White House event, Trump reportedly has several duties that prevent him from leaving the capital to watch the football on Saturday.
