President Donald Trump was joined by his daughter Tiffany at the Kennedy Center Friday before he’s expected to be awarded the newly created “FIFA Peace Prize” during the World Cup draw.
The prize is meant to “reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world,” according to FIFA.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will present the award — on behalf of more than 5 billion soccer fans around the world — at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. president has declared himself a “president of peace.” Trump has claimed to have ended eight wars, spent months campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize and recently renamed the Institute of Peace to the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace.
Infantino advocated for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize, writing in October the day before the prize was announced that he “definitely deserves” to win the award. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”
FIFA announced its own peace prize in early November.
The 2026 tournament will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Star-studded 2026 World Cup ceremony kicks off
Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup draw as world-famous singer Andrea Bocelli kicked off the event.
Several members of the Trump administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and FBI Director Kash Patel, were spotted in the audience.
Tiffany Trump, the president’s daughter, and First Lady Melania Trump accompanied the president.
In photos: Trump and world leaders arrive ahead of 2026 World Cup draw
WATCH LIVE: Trump attends FIFA 2026 world cup draw at the Kennedy Center
Donald Trump and other world leaders are going to attend FIFA’s 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.
The ceremony will determine which national teams are sorted into various groups for next year’s men’s tournament and will include a ceremony for the newly created “FIFA Peace Prize.”
It begins at noon ET.
ANALYSIS: Will Trump try to manipulate how the World Cup unfolds in the US? He’s already started
President Donald Trump has suggested World Cup matches could be moved from certain venues if his administration believes the host cities aren’t safe.
In October, he threatened to pull World Cup matches from Boston, alleging that parts of the city had been “taken over” after a pro-Palestinian protest broke out.
Massachusetts will host seven games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, 27 miles southwest of Boston.
At the time, when Trump was asked about Boston’s Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu, the president said: “I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”
Without providing specifics, he suggested “they’re taking over parts of Boston,” before asserting “we could get them back in about two seconds.”
He appeared to be referring to multiple arrests that were made earlier that month in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest that turned violent on the Boston Common.
The president has also threatened to relocate games if he deems cities “unsafe” amid his crime crackdown.
“If we think there’s going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask [the FIFA President Gianni Infantino] to move that to a different city,” Trump said last month.
“I don’t think we will have this problem, but we will move the event to some place it will be appreciated and safe.”
How Trump exposes Fifa’s ‘new shame’ before controversial World Cup 2026 draw
Donald Trump is allotted to talk for three minutes at Friday’s World Cup draw, according to sources with knowledge of the proceedings, but few expect him to actually stick to that.
Even the setting is perhaps a little preview of how the World Cup 2026itself might function, and who it’s now about. Friday’s draw was originally intended to be in Las Vegas – just like for 1994 – until the Trump administration recommended the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Gianni Infantino’s Fifa duly acquiesced
A more august setting, maybe, but one entering a new era of its own. It has since been reported that Fifa were to be given a zero-dollar rental fee for use of the venue, but in exchange for a $2.4m donation and “sponsorship opportunities” worth $5m.
Miguel Delaney, the Independent’s Chief Football Writer, has the story.
FBI’s Dan Bongino tries to distance himself from pipe bomb conspiracy theories after calling case ‘an inside job’
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino is now distancing himself from the conspiracy theories and baseless speculation that fueled his right-wing media career after the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a suspect accused of planting pipe bombs around Washington, D.C., before the ‘stop the steal’ riots on Jan. 6, 2021.
Bongino appeared to walk back his past claim that the FBI was complicit in a plot to place the bombs near the Republican and Democratic headquarters when pressed by Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday.
“Listen, I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That’s clear, and one day I’ll be back in that space,” Bongino said. “But that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director, and we base investigations on facts.”
Alex Woodward reports.
Vaccine advisers recommend abandoning longstanding hep B shot advice
A CDC vaccine advisory panel voted to end the longstanding advice that all newborns get the hepatitis B vaccination.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided to recommend babies whose mothers test positive, and in cases where the mom wasn’t tested, should be vaccinated, according to the Associated Press.
For other newborns, their parents and doctors will decide if a birth dose is appropriate.
What is the ‘FIFA Peace Prize’?
FIFA introduced the award, called the “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World,” in early November.
The prize rewards “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world,” according to FIFA.
The award will be bestowed on behalf of the global soccer community.
“In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“Football stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, the FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World will recognize the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.”
The award will be bestowed annually.
Infantino will present the prize for the first time just after noon ET on Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Where and when is the 2026 World Cup?
The World Cup 2026 draw begins Friday afternoon.
Hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the 2026 tournament will include 104 games in which 48 teams will play across 16 host cities, according to FIFA.
The upcoming tournament marks the biggest ever. From 1998 through the last World Cup in 2022, just 32 teams competed. Argentina are the reigning champions.
According to BetMGM, odds show Spain, England, France, Brazil and Argentina are favored to win.
The tournament is set to run from June 11 through July 19, with the final being held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Trump hires a new architect for his $300M White House ballroom after clashes with previous one about its size
President Donald Trump replaced the original architect tapped to oversee his $300 million ballroom due to the massive size of the president’s project, according to a report.
James McCrery II and his boutique firm had been working on the 90,000-square-foot project for three months until October, the Washington Post reported. McCrery and Trump had clashed over the president’s interest in expanding the ballroom’s size, but a combination of McCrery’s small team and its struggles to make deadlines ultimately led to the firm’s departure, the paper reported.
It’s not immediately clear whether the architect left voluntarily, but the two men remain on good terms, a source told the Post.
Read the full story.
