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‘No ties’: Trump and Vance's Oval Office photo with FIFA chief sparks wild theories
Photos of FIFA chief Gianni Infantino's meeting with President Donald Trump have surfaced online, with many pointing out that none of them are wearing ties.
President Donald Trump has been formally invited by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the US, with Canada and Mexico, co-hosting some of the soccer games.
Presenting Trump with the symbolic first ticket for the world cup, Infantino on Friday said, “It’s of course row one, seat one… it’s ticket number 45/47.”
However, it is their photos from the meet that has sparked wild theories online. It all stems from the fact that Trump, Infantino, and even Vice President JD Vance, were photographed without ties.
‘No ties’ photos spark wild theories
Sharing a photo of the three without ties, one X account said “Do you really understand what’s just been UNLEASHED? Not an accident. Not random. This is the signal.”
“No ties….. they’ve been unleashed! It’s started…You can’t jail criminals in a corrupt system you have to clean house first,” said another. These remarks gained amplification when Richard Grenell, Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions of United States, jumped in, saying “We definitely coordinated the No Ties, too. We all entered with ties!”
Brian Glenn, Chief White House Correspondent Real America’s Voice and Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend, also jumped in, commenting “I too wore no tie. Ties off, gloves off.”
The context of the ‘ties are coming off’ remarks was explained by Grok, which noted it "likely refers to the absence of neckties as a symbol of cutting ties with establishment constraints or 'deep state' influences, signaling unrestrained action." Hindustan Times was unable to independently verify these theories about the lack of ties in the photos.
However, Grok's explanation about cutting ties with the ‘deep state’ makes sense, given that one of the posts spoke about ‘cleaning house’.
Also Read | How Donald Trump plans to cement control of government by dismantling 'deep state'
There were other posts which pointed to the lack of ties as well. One user said “No ties on anyone sitting behind the desk. Trump, Vance, Grenell, Giuliani, Fifa President. All wearing no ties.”
Another explained, “There are no men with ties in this picture. After Trump's big meeting with all the Prime Minister's, there was the no-tie photo op. Know why? No ties means - CLEAN- no 'ties' to cabal. EVERY MAN is standing FREE and Sovereign. I think that Prime Minister meeting was significant.” The user is likely referring to Trump's White House meeting with European leaders.
Associated Press had reported that conspiracy theorists who had helped Trump return to the White House, had initially shown dissatisfaction with his handling of what they called the ‘deep state’. The handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and the release of the Epstein client list, only aggravated the situation. However, now the Trump administration is walking the line, trying to keep these voters engaged, while managing their dissatisfaction, the agency added. The image with no ties seems to have given hope to some of these voters.
