Astead Herndon

I'm Astead Herndon.

This is Today Explained.

This is Today Explained.

The way it works is nations bid, and they bid quite a long way out.

The process for this was kind of around 2017.

It was actually during Trump's first presidency.

It's interesting to look back on because now, you know, at any moment President Trump gets the opportunity to take credit for it, he will do.

But actually, you know, we've reported on The Athletic.

One of the motivating factors for joining forces was kind of this concern about whether America...

the USA could win a bid by itself because this was coming off the back of, if you remember, the FBI's criminal investigations into FIFA and the DOJ's involvement.

And there was this concern about whether FIFA membership, which was kind of one member, one vote across the world, would actually go through just an American bid.

So they joined forces with Canada and Mexico, slightly softer, I guess, landing.

And also just this feeling at the time of, you know, Trump at the time was saying some pretty disparaging things.

about other parts of the world.

You'll be shocked to hear.

You mean to tell me that Donald Trump is disparaging other countries?

And even during the bidding process, I spoke to people part of that bid, and they would be going around saying to people things like, oh, you know, Trump doesn't really mean what he's saying, or don't worry, he won't be the president by the time this comes around.

And yet here we are.

And Trump, you know, I think Trump likes it basically because he can claim credit.

He can say, I was here when we won this.