Trump admin taunts left for ‘praying’ for World Cup disaster as DOT touts record numbers

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is claiming triumph complete nan near aft a successful FIFA World Cup tourney that saw record-shattering numbers of fans moving done nan U.S.

Several cardinal FIFA fans flocked to American stadiums this year, putting an tremendous strain connected federal, authorities and section proscription networks. However, aided successful portion by a much than a $100 cardinal DOT infrastructure finance to World Cup big cities, nan tourney went disconnected without immoderate awesome incidents, prompting Duffy to taunt doomsayers who predicted nan state would autumn connected its face.

"The Left was praying for an American transit disaster arsenic we hosted nan astir important world sporting arena successful modern history," Duffy told Fox News Digital.

"They were wrong, and President Trump was right."

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) pinch President Donald Trump arsenic Spain lifts nan FIFA World Cup trophy aft nan FIFA World Cup 2026 Final lucifer astatine New York New Jersey Stadium connected July 19, 2026 successful East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

Among nan naysayers was Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who successful April accused nan Trump management of endangering FIFA fans by "systematically dismantling information agencies, delaying captious information assistance, and initiating a warfare pinch Iran." All this, Gallego said, made nan country’s apical information agency, nan Department of Homeland Security, "woefully unprepared to execute its mission."

Gallego remarked that "if authorities and section officials do not spot that national labor will coordinate successful lockstep and run arsenic partners, they will beryllium incapable to protect their communities—increasing threat consequence and compromising Americans’ information successful nan process." He added that "this self-imposed chaos extends to nan Trump administration’s guidance of national departments and agencies."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took a akin tone, asserting up of nan tourney that "Trump cares much astir being connected world TV astatine midfield connected lucifer time than really hosting successful games."

In May, The Atlantic published a piece titled "Another Way America Will Choke astatine nan World Cup," successful which nan writer predicted that "in nan coming months, America’s patchwork railway strategy will beryllium likewise challenged—and its weaknesses exposed—across each 11 U.S. sites of World Cup matches."

Nathaniel Sizemore, a spokesperson for nan agency, told Fox News Digital that it was "the Left’s TDS [Trump derangement syndrome]" that "put them successful nan absurd position of praying for an American transit disaster."

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President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during a Freedom 250 Grand Prix showcase astatine nan White House successful Washington, DC, US, connected Monday, July 13, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, pinch nan World Cup officially concluded, nan results are successful and, according to DOT, they are conclusive. The section said that, aided by its $100.3 cardinal successful national backing to big cities, section transit systems accommodated record-breaking numbers.

During nan World Cup, Atlanta saw much than 2 cardinal riders usage nationalist transit to get to matches, instrumentality fests, and different events, pinch match-day ridership reaching up to 3 times nan emblematic average.

In Seattle, DOT said that much than 1.1 cardinal mixed riders utilized metropolis nationalist transit during nan first 2 matches alone. On July 6, nan city’s ray obstruction strategy accommodated 309,000 riders, blowing good past nan system’s single-day grounds of 220,000 riders.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia, which besides hosted this year’s MLB All-Star Game, saw an mean of 27,000 riders utilizing nationalist transit per match. The city’s PHLASH autobus work recorded a 500 percent summation successful ridership.

Even cities not antecedently known for their nationalist transit systems accommodated grounds numbers. Kansas City saw a one-day grounds for streetcar riders astatine 48,260 connected June 27. Los Angeles saw a 598 percent summation successful rider taps connected World Cup lucifer time compared to a emblematic Friday.

To put it further successful perspective, DOT said that successful San Francisco, an mean of much than 38,000 fans moved to and from World Cup matches utilizing nationalist transit, exceeding Super Bowl LX’s numbers by astir 8,000.

DOT is not nan only 1 that noticed nan U.S. nationalist transit strategy performing.

At nan commencement of nan tournament, Vox ran a piece titled "The World Cup has a Trump problem." In nan piece, nan outlet accused Trump of "actively hindering" nan World Cup and different sporting events, particularly done nan president’s "hostility to each immigrants … particularly to non-white ones." Yet, up of nan last match, Vox wrote that "the nation’s wide expected World Cup nationalist transit meltdown has simply not materialized."

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General position wrong nan stadium during nan halftime show successful East Rutherford, N.J. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

The outlet said that "to nan astonishment of beautiful overmuch everyone, US cities person managed to sorb nan influx of fans pinch comparative ease, moreover nether nan unit of grounds ridership en way to stadiums, watch parties, and instrumentality zones."

Duffy, however, was not surprised.

"Whether they flew, took rider rail, hopped connected nationalist transit, aliases deed nan unfastened road, Americans and visitors alike saw nan champion of our federation complete nan past month," he told Fox News Digital.

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He added that "from nan FTA's finance into section nationalist transit to nan FAA’s activity keeping our skies safe, we were proud to thief FIFA fans get to nan games safely and connected time."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Gallego, Schumer, The Atlantic and Vox for comment.