Cities with Democratic Party mayors have been on President Trump’s enemies list for a considerable amount of time, with one of his threats being withdrawal of the June 2026 World Cup matches from their locales. But rather than push back or intervene in any way, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has chosen to offer The Don a pacifier in the form of a specially created peace prize medal for “making the world a safer place.” The pathetic looking gold bling was awarded by FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, in the bootlicking ceremony held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commenting that Trump had been selected “in recognition of his exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world.” This was yet another attempt, as we have witnessed over the past year, in which other major institutions, companies, and prominent individuals have bent over backwards in a transparent effort to gain favor and purchase themselves immunity from either Trump’s political retribution or criminal prosecution — an embarrassing new low for FIFA.

As Daily Dose of Democracy’s post reads, “One of the world’s most corrupt sports organizations decided to create a participation Nobel Peace Prize to give to Donald.” Dave Braneck of Jacobin writes, “There’s a lot to dislike about the FIFA World Cup. A bloated forty-eight-team tournament spanning all of North America would be tough to pull off in the best of conditions. FIFA openly ripping off fans and charging thousands for tickets ensures that it’ll be, at base, and ugly cash grab. But there are also ills facing fans such as the United States’ immigration regime, roaming National Guard deployments throughout the country’s urban landscapes, and disconcertingly persistent threats to move match venues at President Trump’s whim. The world’s biggest sporting event will have one of its most authoritarian backdrops yet. FIFA president Infantino has responded to concerning developments in the cohost country the same way he responds to despots the world over — shameless groveling.” Braneck asks, “What could be unserious about an award presented ‘on behalf of the billions of people who love this game and want peace?‘”

He goes on to say that Trump was so “jazzed” about “one of the great honors of his life,” that he even stayed awake long enough to graciously accept it. The medal ceremony was squeezed into the formal World Cup draw, providing a bit of levity in the boring lead-in to the tourney proceedings and furnishing a look at “Trump’s authoritarian lurches and FIFA’s sycophancy.” Braneck concludes, “Faced with all this, fans need to exert their power before a terrible World Cup renders the game fully unrecognizable.” Tournaments in previous years faced more criticisms than the upcoming events, those being held in Russia and Qatar, and instead of getting pushbacks fans simply asked with a bemused, “can you believe this crap?” Sports bars in Germany even refused to show the matches on their TVs for the clientele. While Trump doesn’t seem particularly concerned with how he’s perceived prior to the upcoming tournaments, it still is feared that he could continue his threats to Democrat-run cities after the kick-offs. VP Vance offers his comforting words about foreign visitors, “They’ll have to go home, otherwise they’ll have to talk to Secretary Kristi Noem.” Sure, if there IS a next time for her!

The anti-immigrant policies and a proliferation of masked ICE agents throughout the country aren’t especially welcoming, and many foreign fans will be unable to even consider attending FIFA matches — Iran and Haiti citizens are banned from entering the country, a disappointment for Haitians whose team has qualified for the first time in fifty years. FIFA’s Infantino has chosen not to mitigate the situation, lauding his great relationship with Trump and prompting him to book the Village People as ‘entertainment‘ for the World Cup draw to please our brutish president. California’s Governor Newsom mocked FIFA’s ‘peace prize’ award, calling it a participation trophy that means little. However, Newsom’s press team piled on as they reimagined a rendering of a medallion, inscribed ‘If You Had Fun, You Won!‘ — accompanied with a cartoonish and smiling gold star.

Basking in the flood of flattery from Infantino, Trump commented that the sport of American football needs to change its name to allow the current terminology of ‘soccer’ be changed to ‘football’ to replicate that of its global counterparts. “When you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean, this is football, there’s no question about it. We have to come up with another name. It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it. This is really football.” Got that? Maybe we can call it Kennedyball since that name will soon be discarded at the Kennedy Center…or how about Donnyball…or perhaps Pardonsball? Count on the prez to come up with a self-congratulatory honorific.

After Trump appointed himself chairman of the board at DC’s Kennedy Center, dismissing all Biden appointees, he had no qualms giving FIFA exclusive use of the Center’s Concert Hall for the World Cup draw from November 24 to December 12, reportedly allowing the organization use of the prestigious center for the week. A leaked copy of the FIFA contract involves no rental fees for its use, which was offset by a $2.4 million donation and $5 million in sponsorship opportunities, for a total of $7.4 million for the Center, with FIFA covering event operational costs and security. This deal disrupted Kennedy Center programming, drawing the ire of Senate Democrats for potentially sacrificing millions in revenue for favorable political optics. It should be pointed out that the Center provided staff, utilities, and basic services at its own cost.

Eleanor Clift of The Daily Beast suggests it’s time someone red-carded Donald Trump. She reports that The Concert Hall, which seats 2,465, has been repurposed for the main event, with the Eisenhower Theatre serving as an overflow hall, and that the Roof Terrace Restaurant was reserved for a ‘VVIP‘ dinner. FIFA team seminars were held in the Terrace Theatre, along with a broadcast compound and a media center. A ‘green carpet’ will welcome arrivals, and a few fortunates will have access to a ‘Legends Lounge‘ to meet soccer greats and sports admirers from the Trump world who are lucky enough to be granted access to the inner sanctum.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board and ranking member on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee, which oversees all public buildings owned by the government, last month launched a ‘cronyism and corruption‘ investigation into the center’s management under former ambassador Germany Ric Grenell, a Trump choice. The Senator is demanding cost estimates to show the impact of the FIFA accommodations, asserting that contracts and invoices reveal the center is being used as “a playground for the President of the United States and is allies,” and is “being looted to the tune of millions of dollars…an unprecedented pattern of self-dealing, favoritism and waste.” Whitehouse alleges the FIFA event amounts to over $5 million in losses, amid broader reputational suffering and declining sales. Eleanor Clift writes that FIFA is the big winner, gaining prestige cost-free, and Trump is a winner as well, gaining a trophy, and wheeling and dealing to one of the world’s biggest sports events. “But he’s also scoring a goal by reducing a world-famous venue for the arts to another crassly branded saloon.”

According to CNN, ticket sales to this season’s ‘The Nutcracker‘ are down by 33% compared to tickets sales seen in 2002 through 2024, echoing problems of other productions since the Trump takeover. Even with a sellout on the ‘Nutcracker,’ production costs would outweigh revenue from ticket sales, and other productions have been cancelled due to the imposition of a new policy requiring all performances to ‘break even,’ or from artists resigning their leadership roles for previously scheduled events — ‘Hamilton‘ being a notable cancellation. Broadway productions touring schedules are eliminating Kennedy Center as a venue, and with Trump’s board of trustees vetting performers for their gender identities, the Center is not viewed as a safe venue.

As the Daily Dose of Democracy blog reports, “the cat’s out of the bag on our vainglorious nincompoop-in-chief’s lates pathetic move to deify himself. Having already gone to great lengths to destroy the reputation and prestige of America’s preeminent performing arts center, the MAGA cult leader ‘accidentally’ let slip just what he has in store next. During a speech at the US Institute of Peace yesterday, which he had his name slapped on earlier this week, Trump said with a chuckle, ‘You have a big event on Friday at the Trump-Kennedy Center — op, excuse me. The Kennedy Center. Pardon me, such a terrible mistake.’ Donald’s constant need for praise and validation is without parallel, and he’s not about to leave the myth-making and memorializing to posthumous chance. SAD!”

In renaming the above-mentioned Institute of Peace building, adding the ‘Trump‘ monicker, the White House called it “a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.” Or, as Robert Reich termed it, “It’s a reminder of what a strong malignant narcissist can accomplish when untethered from reality.” The absurdity of renaming the Institute building and FIFA’s medal award are part of Trump’s effort to get the Nobel Peace Prize to keep up with President Obama. He sees himself as a valid candidate despite his declaration of war against Venezuela, sans congressional approval, and for allowing SecDef Pete Hegseth to blow over 80 people to kingdom come for ‘drug smuggling‘ — or using the incorrect bait on their fishing equipment, perhaps. Did Vladimir Putin’s flattery, for ending their war against Ukraine, persuad Trump to allow takeover of Ukrainian territory? That must count for something — if we ignore son-in-law Jared Kushner’s wheeling and dealing for business deals with Putin.

Reich asks, “Peace Prize? Please. Trump is taking credit for achieving ‘peace’ between nations that weren’t even at war. According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize is awarded to the person who in the preceding year ‘shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.’ Nobel’s will further specified that the prize be awarded by a committee of five people chosen by the Norwegian Parliament. Memo to Norwegian Parliament and the Nobel committee: No president in American history deserves the Nobel Peace Prize less than does Donald J. Trump.”

In the midst of his myth-making efforts, Trump recently mused about his eternal fate during a White House news conference when asked about about the ‘America Prays‘ initiative which “invites America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and for our people” as we approach next year’s semiquincentennial. Trump is quoted as saying, “You know, there’s a reason to be good,” and he wants to be good to prove to God that he deserves a heavenly reward. He seems to be preoccupied with the afterlife of late, especially after his close call on the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania last year; and, he told Fox News he has anxiety about gaining entry to heaven upon his demise since “I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.” He feels he was saved from death by assassination to carry out his ultimate mission of saving America, which prompted him to make yet another appeal to his faithful — ‘send  cold, hard cash to help get the job done.‘ The grift is great, the grift is GOOD!

Satirist Andy Borowitz was inspired to fantasize Trump’s reaction upon the death of Dick Cheney: “Donald J. Trump boasted that his funeral would draw a ‘much bigger crowd’ than former Vice President Dick Cheney’s. ‘Dick Cheney, who was a loser and a terrible person, will be lucky to get a thousand people at this funeral,’ Trump posted on Truth Social. ‘My funeral will draw MILLIONS!’ Remarking that ‘nobody cares’ about Cheney’s funeral, Trump said he expects the turnout at his funeral to set records, noting, ‘Every day, people say to me, ‘Sir, I can’t wait for that day to come.‘”

Lincoln Square’s Rick Wilson speculates about what happens when ‘that day‘ comes in his piece entitled ‘When Trump Dies.‘ He writes, “Every aging dictator, every long-in-the-tooth autocrat, every once-terrifying strongman eventually feels the cold hand of Death reaching out to tap them on the shoulder and whisper, ‘It’s time.‘” Wilson says that we all understand mortality, but we should consider what comes after that tap on the shoulder with the collapse of systems built around that leader. The entire structure that pretended to be a unified movement reveals itself for what it was in actuality: a feeding frenzy for sycophants who think they were born to inherit the golden scepter. As for what happens in the post-Trump era, his daily outrages and excesses make succession the survivors unsolved problem. Reich concludes: “Autocrats are very good at seizing power and holding it. They are very bad at leaving it behind without blowing something up on the way out — personality cult regimes are especially fragile at succession because the leader spends his life eliminating rivals rather than training successors. Trump is not unique. He is just the latest in an ancient story.” What happens next will be ugly and dangerous.