SerpApi.Org
President Donald Trump is privately pitching the United Nations to make FIFA president Gianni Infantino the next UN secretary-general, according to a new report.
On July 21, the New York Post reported that Trump wants Infantino to take over as secretary-general when the current secretary-general, António Guterres, leaves office in December. A White House insider told the outlet that Trump believes Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together.”
Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships, Paolo Zampolli, gushed about the hypothetical to the publication.
“Only President Trump could have such a genius idea,” he said.
Zampolli, described by the Post as a friend of Infantino’s, claimed that managing FIFA was not so different from managing the U.N.
“At the United Nations, you have to deal with 193 member states. In FIFA, there are over 200 members [and] Gianni’s great record shows he knows how to manage,” said a source.
It’s unclear if Infantino even wants the job. The 56-year-old has led FIFA since 2016 and has already announced his intention to seek a third term as its president. He has not publicly responded to the Post‘s reporting.
Trump and Infantino have enjoyed a highly publicized bromance throughout the 80-year-old president’s second term, as the United States hosted both the Club World Cup and the World Cup. Infantino infamously invented the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to gift to Trump right as Trump grumbled about missing out on the actual Nobel Peace Prize.
During the 2026 World Cup, FIFA notably overturned a controversial red-card suspension for star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after Trump lobbied Infantino to do so. Infantino denied that Trump had anything to do with the decision, but fans around the globe and the U.S.’s opponent, Belgium, grumbled that the decision reeked of corruption.
After the championship final, Trump hung around on stage at the trophy ceremony for Spain, despite Infantino appearing to try and usher him out of the Spanish team’s big moment.
Trump has fumed at the UN throughout his presidency. In his second term, he has cut U.S. funding to the U.N. and taken the United States out of UN sub-committees including the World Health Organization, UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council.
The current candidates to take over as Secretary-General include former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi. Should Infantino want the gig, he would first have to have his bid approved by the UN Security Council, then be chosen by the General Assembly.
