Trump’s Comic Riff: “I Got the Olympics, World Cup, and 250th Anniversary — If They Hadn’t Cheated on the Election, I’d Be Retired”; Obama “So Angry He Wouldn’t Take the Call”

In a classic Trump stand-up riff in May 2025, the President explained the cosmic joke of his political career. Three massive events were scheduled for America during what would have been his second term: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 2026. Trump: “I got the Olympics and the World Cup, and I won’t be president, and they’re going to forget that I got ‘em. Nobody’s going to mention it.” His solution: “Then they rigged the election, and I said, ‘You know what I’ll do? I’ll run again and I’ll shove it up their ass.’ And that’s what I did, and all of a sudden I realized — I got the Olympics, I got the World Cup, and I got the 250th.” His punchline: “If they would have left us alone and wouldn’t have cheated on the election, I would have been retired right now. Instead, they have me for four more years.”

Obama’s Failed Olympic Bid

Trump’s extended riff began with the contrast to Barack Obama’s unsuccessful Olympic bid in 2009.

“You know, maybe I got lucky because I got the Olympics and I got the World Cup,” Trump said.

He added a characteristic disclaimer: “I did nothing to help the 250th anniversary because if I take credit for that one then you’ll say, ‘I think he’s exaggerating.’”

He stated what he had actually delivered: “But two of the three, I absolutely got the Olympics, I got the World Cup. And I said to myself when I got them, it was my first term, I got them.”

He described Obama’s behavior: “President Obama would not take the calls from the Olympic Committee, refused to take the calls. And I think because he traveled to Oslo or wherever he went, very far away, in order to get the Olympics, the previous Olympics, I said, well, that’s great.”

The Oslo reference was to Obama’s October 2009 trip to Copenhagen (not Oslo, though the locations were geographically close) to personally lobby the International Olympic Committee for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Obama’s personal pitch, alongside Michelle Obama and various celebrities, had been one of the most intense Olympic bids in history.

Trump described what had happened: “That means we got it because what president would travel to come in fourth place, which is what we came in fourth place.”

The outcome had indeed been embarrassing. Chicago had been eliminated in the first round of voting, finishing fourth behind Rio de Janeiro (which won), Madrid, and Tokyo. An American president had personally traveled to Copenhagen and had been rejected in the first round of voting — a humiliating diplomatic setback that had consumed significant political capital.

Trump’s Own Olympic Call

Trump then described what had happened subsequently.

“And so he was so angry, he wouldn’t take the call,” Trump said.

He explained the context: “So I got a call from at the time, the mayor of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is not looking too good with the water. We just sent so much water down their way, they didn’t want to take it because it was bad for the environment.”

The water reference was to California water policy — a longstanding issue where Trump had criticized state policies that he believed failed to capture Northern California rainfall for Southern California use. The Los Angeles fires of early 2025 had made this criticism more salient, as reservoir levels had been lower than they might have been under different water management policies.

Trump returned to the main narrative: “I got a call from the mayor and he said, ‘Sir, you’re the president-elect.’ I was president-elect at the time. ‘The president will not speak to the Olympic Committee.’”

He explained Obama’s continued anger: “‘And I understand that, but a little bit his fault, I guess. He was very embarrassed by that.’”

He described his intervention: “‘And I said, I’ll speak to him.’ And I spoke to this gentleman who was obviously Scandinavian, seriously Scandinavian and very nice.”

He described the conversation: “I couldn’t get him off the phone because he was so starved for love. He just kept, I must add infant to hours I couldn’t. I said, ‘Sir, I have to go. I’m president-elect.’”

He described his response: “‘Yes, yes, yes, we will take good care.’”

He explained what the Olympic Committee had wanted: “They wanted to know that if they choose us for the Olympics, will they, will we treat him nicely? And I said, ‘We’re going to treat you like so well, like you’ve never been treated.’"

"Starved for Love”

The “starved for love” characterization of the Olympic Committee representative captured Trump’s view of personal diplomacy. Even in highly formal contexts like international Olympic committee communications, Trump believed that warmth, personal engagement, and treating counterparts with respect produced better outcomes than the more clinical style of traditional diplomacy.

The specific criticism of Obama — that his emotional reaction to losing had produced a refusal to engage further — was a common Trump theme. Obama’s tendency toward reserved, emotionally controlled responses to setbacks was viewed by Trump as counterproductive. Trump’s approach was to rebound from setbacks with additional engagement rather than withdrawal.

Whether this story was historically accurate in every detail was less important than its illustrative function. The basic facts — Obama’s failed Olympic bid, Chicago’s elimination in the first round, the 2028 Olympics being awarded to Los Angeles during Trump’s first term — were correct. The specific phone call details that Trump described might be somewhat dramatized, but the underlying dynamic was real.

The World Cup Through “Johnny”

Trump pivoted to the FIFA World Cup.

“And then we got through Johnny, who’s the boss,” Trump said. “We got, he’s a friend of mine. We got the World Cup.”

“Johnny” was Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA. Trump had cultivated a personal relationship with Infantino during his first term, and Infantino had been prominent at several Trump events and appearances. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, had been awarded to the three-country bid in 2018, during Trump’s first term.

Trump stated the outcome: “I got them both. And I said, ‘Man, I won’t be president. I won’t be, I got the Olympics and the World Cup and I won’t be president. And they’re going to forget that I got them.’”

He voiced his recognition: “‘Nobody’s going to mention it because, you know, a little bit, that’s the way life is.’”

The complaint about credit was a genuine grievance. During the Biden administration, the World Cup and Olympic planning had proceeded without much public acknowledgment that the events had been secured during Trump’s first term. The 2024 campaign had not featured extensive Trump credit for these diplomatic accomplishments. Trump’s anticipation that these would proceed “and nobody’s going to mention it” reflected his general frustration with crediting patterns for his first-term accomplishments.

”Shove It Up Their Ass”

Trump delivered the core comedic pivot.

“And then they rigged the election,” Trump said, referring to his 2020 loss.

He described his resolution: “And then I said, ‘You know what I’ll do? I’ll run again, and I’ll shove it up their ass.’”

He celebrated the result: “And that’s what I did. And all of a sudden, I then realized, I said, ‘You know what, I got the Olympics, I got the World Cup, and I got the 250th.’”

He expressed the comic appreciation: “Look at the way this works out.”

The “250th” referred to America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Major celebrations were being planned, with Trump’s administration taking the lead on federal organization of the events. As President during both the 2026 World Cup and the 250th anniversary, Trump would be the face of American sports and civic celebration during the bicentennial-plus-50 year.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would occur after Trump’s second term concluded (assuming no major change in constitutional order), but the preparation phase and diplomatic engagement with the International Olympic Committee would occur during Trump’s presidency.

The Punchline

Trump delivered his signature comedic resolution.

“So if they would have left us alone and wouldn’t have cheated on the election and wouldn’t have rigged it, I would have been retired right now,” Trump said.

He described the alternative: “I would have been happily doing something else, and instead, they have me for four more years.”

He added the rhetorical flourish: “Can you believe it?”

The comic inversion was classic Trump. Rather than lamenting his 2020 loss, he was framing it as cosmic karma that had backfired on Democrats. If Biden had won legitimately in 2020, Trump would have served his second term 2021-2025 and then retired in January 2025, leaving someone else to preside over the World Cup and 250th anniversary. Instead, Trump had been forced by what he called the “rigged” 2020 election to run again and win in 2024, which meant he would now be President during 2026 for both the World Cup and the 250th anniversary celebrations.

The “four more years” framing was pointed. Trump’s enemies had hoped that 2020 would end his political career. Instead, his response had been to mount a successful 2024 comeback. The result was that instead of four years of Trump (2017-2021), Americans had eight years of Trump (2017-2021 and 2025-2029), with the second term overlapping multiple major national events.

The Underlying Political Message

Beyond the comedy, Trump was making a political point about his legitimacy and relevance. By highlighting that:

• He had secured major international events for the United States during his first term
• The Biden administration had failed to properly credit these accomplishments
• His 2024 victory meant he would personally preside over these events
• The “rigged” 2020 election had ultimately backfired on those who engineered it

Trump was framing his political longevity as both unwanted by him personally and necessary for proper American leadership. He could have retired happily; instead, events had conspired (with some divine or karmic assistance) to keep him at the center of American national life for another four years.

The self-deprecating framing — “I would have been happily doing something else” — was characteristic Trump misdirection. Whether Trump would have actually been satisfied with retirement after a 2020 loss was doubtful; his psychological makeup seemed to require public engagement and political conflict. But the rhetorical framing allowed him to present his second term as a sacrifice rather than an ambition, and to credit Democratic overreach for his return to power.

Key Takeaways

• Trump’s comic triangle: Olympics (2028 LA), World Cup (2026 US/Canada/Mexico), 250th anniversary (2026) all during his second term.
• Obama’s 2009 Olympic bid: Traveled to Copenhagen, Chicago finished fourth in first round voting — humiliating defeat.
• Trump: “Obama was so angry he wouldn’t take the call” from IOC after loss. Trump stepped in as president-elect.
• “Johnny” (Gianni Infantino, FIFA president) — “he’s a friend of mine” — secured the 2026 World Cup.
• Punchline: “If they hadn’t cheated on the election, I’d be retired. Instead they have me for four more years.”