President Donald Trump was characteristically blunt on Monday night while riffing about why he decided to run for president again after leaving office in 2021.
Trump held a dinner at the White House with the Kennedy Center Board, which he recently restaffed with loyalists in an effort to reinvigorate the arts. He began riffing during his speech at the dinner, recalling how during his first term, he bemoaned the fact that the Olympics and World Cup would be hosted in the United States in 2028 and 2026, respectively, which he wouldn’t be able to preside over due to his being termed out in 2024.
“And then they rigged the election, and then I said, ‘You know what I’ll do? I’ll run again, and I’ll shove it up their a**,’” he said, triggering laughter and applause from the audience.
“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. Look at the way this works out,” Trump added.
“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. I would have been happily doing something else, and instead, they have me for four more years,” the president continued.
LMAO!!! TRUMP: "I'll shove it up their a*s!"
HE JUST WENT OFF!
"I said [during term 1], man, I won't be president! I got the Olympics [2028] and the World Cup [2026], and I won't be president, and they're gonna forget that I got them, nobody's gonna mention it, because you… pic.twitter.com/VowXDyirhB
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2025
Trump has repeatedly pointed out the irony of his exit from office in 2021 extending his political life, a theme touched on constantly during his 2024 rallies.
KENNEDY CENTER EXPANDS BROADWAY AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOWS IN TRUMP ERA
His Monday audience included several members of his administration, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
As noted, Trump’s second administration will preside over several major anniversaries and events, including the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, and the U.S.’s 250th birthday. He will have considerable say over the pomp and ceremonies of each event.
