U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Col. Paul R. Pawluk, Vice Commander for the 89th Airlift Wing, as he walks to board Air Force One to travel to New Jersey, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
President Donald Trump's attendance at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer match in New Jersey on Sunday reportedly caused Newark Airport to be shut down for hours.
As Trump arrived at the major international hub, transportation reporter Sam Deutsch noted that all flights had been halted except for the president's Air Force One.
"Very interesting thing just happened: EWR had a complete ground stop due to 'thunderstorms' despite no storms in a 200 mile radius," he wrote on BlueSky. "The only flight to leave from EWR in that window? Air Force One."
"Sure looks like Donald Trump just shut down EWR for 4 hours so he could watch a soccer game!" he added.
In an update, Deutsch reported that airport employees were told that Trump was the reason for diverted inbound flights.
"Apparently airport employees are telling travelers that the thunderstorm excuse is fake and Trump is the real reason the airport was shut down for 4 hours," he wrote.
Trump attended the Chelsea versus Paris Saint-Germain game at the nearby MetLife stadium, where he was booed by some of the 81,000 fans.
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