An embattled Donald Trump is increasingly using sports as prop | Leander Schaerlaeckens

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred terms Lately, it seems Donald Trump’s scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can’t. Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf. Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...

Leander Schaerlaeckens · Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 2:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

An embattled Donald Trump is increasingly using sports as prop | Leander Schaerlaeckens

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred terms

Lately, it seems Donald Trump’s scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can’t.

Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University.

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