Donald Trump on Monday proudly displayed the FIFA World Cup trophy on his desk, just days after he asked if he could keep it.
The trophy, now in a protective casing beside the Resolute Desk, was brought into the Oval Office last Friday by FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the announcement that the group stage draw for next year’s event will be held in December at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
When Trump asked if he could keep it, Infantino responded, “Well…” before Trump joked about the gold item: “We’re not giving it back.”
Infantino, standing in the new-look Oval Office with all its gold trim, said: “It fits well here, I think—until we have to give it to the next winner.”
“That’s fine,” Trump replied. “That’s a beautiful piece of gold, I will say.”
The president on Monday pointed out the trophy while signing an executive order, but said it wasn’t his favorite piece of decor in the room.
“There‘s your trophy for the World Cup. In fact, it’s solid gold. That‘s actually solid gold—so heavy that some of the people in this room wouldn’t be able to lift it up,” he claimed.
“I think what I‘m going to do is place it right above the angel, right over there. That’s solid gold too,” he said. “Look at that. That’s a solid gold trophy. They know how to get to me, you know? I like the angel better, to be honest with you.”
The Daily Beast has asked the White House about the arrangement and whether the president would be presenting the trophy to the winning team next July, but has not heard back.
Infantino last week also gifted to Trump the “first ticket” to the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City, so it seems he’ll be there in some capacity.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast asking how the trophy arrangement came to be. It is also unclear how long the item will remain with the president.
The trophy has been awarded to each World Cup winner since 1974, the most recent being Argentina. The U.S. has not hosted a men’s World Cup since 1994, and has never won.
Of the 16 venues for next year’s contest, 11 are in the U.S. Auxiliary hosts Mexico and Canada have three and two stadiums, respectively, for games.
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