Watch: Vladimir Putin Gifts Donald Trump Soccer Ball After World Cup
It appears that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin get along after all.
After a joint press conference in Helsinki, Russian president Vladimir Putin surprised Trump with a gift.
Putin spoke after a successful World Cup that resulted in France winning its second title. He gifted Trump a soccer ball, which the American promptly threw to his wife, Melania.
"Thank you very much," Trump replied. "We do host it, and we hope we do as good a job."
The United States will host the 2026 World Cup (along with Mexico and Canda) after the 2022 competition will be held in Qatar. Trump was an advocate for the U.S. World Cup bid. On Sunday, Trump tweeted: "Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament -- one of the best ever!"
The press conference was held just days after the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents on charges of hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign to aid Trump.
