Kristi Noem Vies for World Cup of Flattery During Trump-FIFA Meeting: ‘Thank You So Much for Dreaming Big Dreams’

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem laid it on thick during a White House FIFA task force meeting with President Donald Trump and the rest of the cabinet on Tuesday.

The U.S., Canada, and Mexico will host the World Cup in 2026 after Trump helped secure the winning bid in his first term in 2018. As with other Trump cabinet meetings, Tuesday’s gathering included the usual presidential fawning from the cabinet secretaries, but Noem’s entry was an impressively strong contender.

First, she was introduced by Vice President JD Vance via an awkward joke about deporting World Cup visitors.

“I will say, before I turn it over to the next speaker, that of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event,” the vice president said. “I know we’ll have visitors, probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise, they’ll have to talk to Secretary Noem, who I’ll turn it over to now.”

“Well, thank you, Mr. President,” Noem responded. “Thank you so much for dreaming big dreams and doing unprecedented things. Your entire life, you have stood for doing things that other people thought they couldn’t do and accomplishing unprecedented events and achievements. And so, this is one of those events that I think is going to be remarkable and will stand the test of time as the world’s greatest sporting event ever held and conducted. You are honoring us by agreeing to be the chairman of this event.”

Noem went on to say Homeland Security will play a key role in World Cup preparedness before circling back to praise Trump some more.

“There’s a bonding that happens among people,” she said about sports. “And I believe that’s what you are doing, is creating an opportunity for the world to become a friendlier place… It’s going to be incredibly special. So, thank you for leading at an unprecedented time and doing so with big visions for the future. Thank you for doing this.”

“Thank you very much,” the president replied. “Appreciate it.”

During the last World Cup, which was the women’s contest held in 2023, Trump blamed then-President Joe Biden after the U.S. Women’s National Team lost to Sweden in the Round of 16.

“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our [sic] once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote, adding that “WOKE” was to blame.

Watch above via C-SPAN.