Donald Trump has arguably had a bigger impact in sport than any U.S. president in history.
And love or loathe him, his affection for sport is genuine and predates his political ambitions by decades.
Trump is even more comfortable on the golf course than he is in the Oval Office, and his golf courses generated over $300m in revenue last year alone.
His association with Dana White of UFC Meta fame meanwhile dates back to the early 2000s, culminating in the infamous Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn in June.
Assuming he is still in office in 2028, Trump will also become only the second U.S. president after Bill Clinton to preside over both the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
This summer, the 80-year-old infamously attempted to have Folarin Balogun’s suspension for the USMNT’s round-of-16 clash with Belgium overturned. Whether or not at the behest of the president, whose phone call with FIFA president Gianni Infantino discussing the Balogun case is now a matter of public record, the red card was rescinded by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. Astonishingly, Trump has flirted with the idea of appointing Infantino as secretary general of the United Nations.
Trump’s tentacles could reach Major League Baseball soon, with the White House signalling that they would step in if players and owners cannot reach an agreement on a proposed salary cap. The schism between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has routinely attracted his interest too, as have NBA and NFL games.
Only two days ago, Trump commented on LeBron James’ move to the 76ers, inexplicably saying of the all-time NBA great “maybe he’s a racist.”
The president’s orbit – and indeed his donors list – has also drawn in countless numbers of the most influential sports industry figures in the world.
A newcomer from Trump’s circle to the world of football is Tim Leiweke, who scarcely a year after being granted a presidential pardon for allegedly rigging the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas has made several investments in the sport.
After acquiring Italian Serie A side Venezia and missing out at the eleventh hour on a stake in Portuguese giants Benfica, Leiweke has now bought shares in Bolton Wanderers, who play in the second tier of English football, the Championship.
Bolton were one of 12 founding members of the English Football League in 1888 and played in the Premier League as recently as 2012.
His indictment in the U.S. will prove an interesting test case for the newly-established Independent Football Regulator, which has been granted the power to oust investors in English clubs with criminal histories by the UK government.
Leiweke established Entrepreneur Equity Partners to make the investment in Bolton alongside co-investors Francesca Bodie and Keegan McDonald
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