Man tries to bribe Donald Trump; gets double-crossed

This is more like dog barks at squirrel than man bites dog:

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sought support from the administration of US President Donald Trump amid mounting criticism ⁠after his abandoned plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights, the New York Post reported on Monday, citing sources familiar ⁠with the matter.

The Post said that Infantino had repeatedly tried and failed to reach Trump by phone since the proposal collapsed on Friday, ⁠and that the FIFA chief felt “isolated” by an avalanche of negative media coverage.

Criticism has intensified over Infantino’s failed plan to spin off the world football governing body’s commercial assets into a new entity backed by private investors.

FIFA’s plan to ‌unlock up to $4.2bn from private investors by selling a roughly 20 percent stake in a new entity overseeing competitions including the World Cup ended in retreat on Friday after fierce resistance from stakeholders.

With the idea abandoned, attention has now turned to the potential repercussions for Infantino, whose bid for another term as FIFA president from 2027 to 2031 faces increased scrutiny following the failed ⁠initiative.

Trump and Infantino have forged a close relationship, with the ⁠two appearing together at major football events including this year’s World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The bond was highlighted in December 2025 when Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA ⁠Peace Prize, making him the first recipient of the award.

Yeah, there’s a real “close bond” here.

Bonus detail is that Jared Kushner’s brother was in the middle of Infantino’s little scheme to send the World Cup to the private equity chop shop.

A genuine mystery is how so many extremely prominent and successful people keep getting ripped off by Donald Trump. One explanation is made available via what I’ve found to be an increasingly useful heuristic, which is the baseline assumption that people in general are total fucking idiots, and that high social status has little if any effect on the baseline distribution of total fucking idiots in the relevant population.

. . .

Donald Trump mocked his rivals’ supposed lack of talent after celebrating another two championships at his New Jersey golf course on Sunday, claiming “I have it, and they don’t!”

The US president posted on social media a video of the apparent “winning shot” at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster. He says he won this year’s Super Senior and Senior categories.

Trump has now claimed to have won more than 40 titles across his portfolio of golf courses, although he has also been dogged by allegations of cheating in recent years.

Posting on Sunday, the president claimed he secured his latest trophy with a two-under-par round of 70.

He posted on Truth Social: “I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”

Donald Trump is the most pathetic person in the history of the world.

For those who know nothing about golf, an 80-year-old man shooting two under par on a professional quality course is every bit as plausible as an 80-year-old man running a sub-four minute mile.

“Thanks” to commenter Junker for bringing this nugget to my attention.