Embattled FBI Director Kash Patel found time in his schedule to suck up to President Donald Trump after his humiliating reception at the World Cup final.
Trump, 80, had an awkward time at Sunday’s big game in New Jersey after the public provided an instant barometer of his popularity.
After being booed when he appeared on screen before the match began, the boos hit fever pitch as Trump walked across the field to present victors Spain with their trophy.
The White House Press Pool reported that Trump walked onto MetLife Stadium to “a sustained chorus” of boos, which instantly raised the ambient crowd noise inside the venue from 78 to 84 decibels. There were around 80,000 people watching the game.
Patel, 46, attempted to cheer Trump up with a nearly 300-word social media post on Sunday where he claimed the 2026 World Cup was “the largest sporting event in the history of the world, shattering previous attendance record by double digits.”
The 2026 attendance was boosted by the fact that this year was the first time 48 teams competed on the world stage, which meant 104 matches were played, instead of 64 four years ago, and the event was spread across six weeks not four.
Trump’s attendance at Sunday’s game was also his first of the entire World Cup tournament. The increased security and screening processes related to his visit delayed entry for fans, with one journalist reporting they spent over three hours in the security line. BBC Sport reported lines stretching for two hours.
There were two levels of security at the stadium on Sunday, run by both the Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration.
This year’s World Cup is poised to raise over $9 billion for FIFA, who were criticized for a median ticket price of $900, according to TicketData.
In his glowing social media post, Patel bragged, “America-we got it done.”
He claimed there were “ZERO major security incidents” during the World Cup during the U.S. matches, which he said worked out to “the equivalent of 78 super bowls in 38 days.”
“President Trump promised his administration would deliver the most safe, secure, and fun environment for FIFA,” Patel said, adding that the president’s leadership “set the course, he led the way.”
In another Trump-led twist, it was the first time in World Cup history that a host country was at war with another participating nation.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team perhaps the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup” after their base camp was moved to Tijuana from Arizona, despite all of their group games taking place in the United States.
FIFA provided threat assessments and intelligence about potential threats from each team’s home country and shares them with local security planners, according to ESPN.
“For instance, this particular team uses a lot of fireworks, while some teams don’t. Some teams will march, some don’t,” Philadelphia police chief inspector John Przepiorka said.
Host cities have received $625 million in federal grants to cover overtime and additional security costs. The DHS also awarded host cities more than $250 million to help purchase anti-drone technology.
In his post, Patel said 700 drones near FIFA airspace were seized during the World Cup.
“It’s the largest resource dedication the FBI has EVER made for any event,” Patel said.
As well as his wordy post, Patel also released a 30-second video, starting with him on a private jet and ending on a close-up of his FBI cap.
The video sees Patel claim they had to “figure out how to get 6.5 million people into the U.S. and into these games without a single major security incident.”
Trump himself was oddly quiet about the World Cup on Truth Social, merely praising MAGA opera singer Christopher Macchio, who scored the role of singing “America the Beautiful” at the final. Trump said he “took the house down!”
Patel buttering-up of Trump comes a week after the president said the FBI were “wasting their time” investigating the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Days after the Republican’s shock death, Patel posted that the FBI is “assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available,” without explaining how or why.
Trump said he did not see “a lot of evil” in Graham dying after suffering an aortic dissection, adding, “I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, [but] I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.”
