The State Department has a “secret playbook for using sports to advance Trump’s agenda,” according to Politico. Foggy Bottom has a tough assignment ahead. Witness the opening ceremonies of Sunday’s NBA game in London between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, the first NBA game in the UK in six years. As Vanessa Williams sang the National Anthem, someone shouted “Leave Greenland alone,” which the arena cheered. Cockburn doesn’t think Williams is much of a threat to Greenland.
President Trump’s appearance last night at the College Football Championship – along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ivanka and Jared, Kai Trump and Steve Witkoff – went without a hitch. The real trouble spots will be the soccer World Cup, coming to North America this summer and featuring many countries currently facing a US travel ban, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which, if Trump keeps rattling global sabers, could be the most boycotted Olympic Games since the 1980s.
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup Task Force, said, “I think when you think about some of the people that might come to the United States, they might have impressions of what the United States of America are based on a narrative that they’ve heard… We get the opportunity to show them what the United States of America really is.”
Cockburn feels like the real solution might just be showing a United States of America that actually likes soccer. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, prior to hosting a watch party for the Africa Cup of Nations final, said Sunday, “just five months away from bringing the World Cup to New York City, this is a chance for us to show what it can look like to repurpose the spaces of the city into ones where we celebrate the game.” Of course, he also said that he was “rooting for Africa,” which may not be something the State Department wants to hear.
On our radar
WHAT A YEAR President Trump is currently joining Karoline Leavitt for this week’s press briefing, exactly one year into his second administration. “These are accomplishments,” he said, brandishing an enormous folder at the podium.
DONNIE DOES DAVOS Trump is flying to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland tonight, where he will meet world leaders at a moment when relations are strained. (It’s unclear whether he’ll meet David Beckham, who also finds himself in a time of strained relations.)
DINING OUT The Washingtonian magazine has released its 100 Best Restaurants of DC list for 2026. Albi takes the #1 slot, with Jônt and Moon Rabbit in second and third.
For everyone’s eyes only
Ahead of his big Davos excursion, President Trump has once again staked his claim as the messiest girl in the groupchat, posting screenshots of private texts sent to him by world leaders on his social media.
First up for an airing: Monsieur Le President, Emmanuel Macron:
My friend,
We are totally in line on Syria
We can do great things on Iran
I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland
Macron also offered to set up a G7 meeting in Paris to discuss peace, and invite Denmark, Syria, Russia and Ukraine to join on the sidelines. He signs the message “Emmanuel.”
Next was NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, whose text strikes an even more intimate tone:
Mr. President, dear Donald – what you accomplished in Syria today is incredible. I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine. I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Cant wait to see you. Yours, Mark
Cockburn can’t help but detect a hint of Elizabeth Holmes in Rutte’s message. Besides, if these gents weren’t expecting their missives to reach a bigger audience, they should have paid closer attention to what happened to the “private” note Marco Rubio passed Trump earlier this month…
A far-right big night out
Cockburn is thankfully far too old for “the club” – though apparently that doesn’t stop some men. One Miami establishment found itself the victim of an audience-capture campaign as a group of the internet’s most unsavory characters descended upon it via party bus. Among their number: accused sex traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate (39 and 37); “groyper” leader Nick Fuentes; live-streamer Sneako; manosphere podcaster Myron Gaines (in his Cookie Monster holocaust-joke hoodie), and “looksmaxxing” guru Clavicular – more on him from Cockburn’s colleague Katherine Dee here.
A series of clips shows the group sieg-heiling and singing along to Ye’s “HH” (with its refrain that consists of a racial slur and a Nazi slogan) in a party bus and at the club Vendôme while receiving bottle service. Vendôme subsequently issued a statement branding the display “deeply offensive and unacceptable” and conducted an internal review that led to three employees being fired and the group of influencers being permanently banned. Several responses online point out that the Führer probably wouldn’t have been all too pleased with the posse’s ethnic make-up: “americas a profoundly diverse nation, therefore even our nazis are dei,” tweeted leftist streamer Hasan Piker.
In another clip, Clavicular says to Fuentes, “yo Nick, I’m gonna bring some girls over for you.” Fuentes declines, saying, “I’m good.” Presumably Fuentes is saving himself for one of his most loyal online female fans – or someone else perhaps?
On his Telegram channel, Fuentes summarized the evening with a “Pepe” meme (Cockburn understands this is intended to signal his inceldom):
>be me
>dragged to the club for the first time by my friends
>stand there awkwardly drinking red bull
>the dj plays my song
>this_isnt_so_bad.jpeg
>start to crack a smile
>banned from Miami Beach
>disavowed by the mayor of the city on the local news
>3 employees get fired
>incident condemned by the ADL
>mfw
Nothing like a bad night out to make you glad you stayed in…
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