White House staff are in "crisis mode." That phrase, from a source close to the situation, tells you everything about how badly the Epstein chants now echoing around World Cup stadiums have rattled Trump's inner circle.
The president has yet to attend a single match of a tournament held on home soil — an extraordinary absence for a host-nation leader — and the reason is becoming harder to spin. Fans from England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand have crafted songs referencing Trump's documented friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker who died in a New York jail in 2019. Those chants are now going viral, racking up millions of views from footage shot across host cities, and the White House knows exactly what happens if Trump walks into a stadium full of international supporters who have no interest in political niceties.
The Chants That Won't Go Away
Trump and Epstein moved in the same elite circles during the 1980s and 1990s. They were photographed together multiple times. In 2002, Trump told New York magazine that Epstein was a "terrific guy" and "a lot of fun to be with." He has since tried to distance himself, claiming a falling out predated Epstein's criminal convictions and that he banned him from Mar-a-Lago. His name has also surfaced in released Epstein-related court documents, though appearing in those files carries no implication of illegal conduct, and Trump has never been accused of any crime or been the subject of any law enforcement investigation.
None of that nuance survives a football chant. As one Washington insider put it: "For opponents of Trump, Epstein has become shorthand for a story that refuses to go away. Soccer supporters are seizing on that."
The English-speaking angle is the specific problem. A chant in French or Portuguese doesn't travel the same way on American television. One from a packed English or Australian end does. Primary broadcasters have already been briefed on what's ringing out in the stands.
A Final Appearance Looks Increasingly Complicated
The July 19 final is now genuinely uncertain. Handing over the trophy is the kind of made-for-television moment Trump would normally relish. But if England or Scotland advance deep into the knockout rounds — and both remain live possibilities — the crowd dynamic at the final becomes something his team cannot control.
In his absence, officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the opening US match, while RFK Jr. drew loud jeers when his face appeared on stadium screens at the US-Australia game in Seattle. That response alone signals how this crowd differs from a campaign rally.
Trump spent months framing the World Cup as proof of American power and global standing. FIFA president Gianni Infantino rewarded that framing with a specially created "Peace Prize" at the draw ceremony — weeks before Trump authorised military strikes on Iran. Football's global fanbase, it turns out, is drawing its own conclusions.
