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AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale made an appearance at manager Ruben Amorim's prematch press conference this week sporting a cap that was clearly a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump's well-known slogan. Instead of referencing his home country, the white text on Cardinale's red cap declared: "Make Milan Great Again."
There is a distinctly American flavor to Milan these days. Cardinale, who has owned the club since an $1.2 billion purchase in August 2022, was born in Villanova, Pa., roughly an hour and a half drive west of Hershey, Pa., where the team's No. 11, Christian Pulisic, grew up.
Pulisic's fellow American Yunus Musah has featured in every Milan match this season after reclaiming his place in the squad.
Pulisic himself has made his own references to Trump in the past. The former face of the U.S. men's national team sparked controversy when he celebrated a goal for the Stars and Stripes in 2024 with a series of moves inspired by the President. "Well obviously that's the Trump dance," Pulisic said at the time. "It was just a dance that everyone's doing. He's the one who created it. I just thought it was funny."
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard slammed the gesture as "stupid" and rejected any suggestion that it was apolitical. "I don't buy that," he said dismissively. "Any show of support for Donald Trump is political."
Cardinale has made little effort to conceal his alignment with Trump's political views.
Milan Owner's Links to President Trump
Cardinale's ambition to make Milan "great again" has not come without its share of setbacks. Having taken over a side that had just been crowned Serie A champions, the American founder of investment firm RedBird Capital has yet to oversee the winning of a major trophy, with Milan dropping to eighth and fifth place over the past two seasons.
It has been a challenging adjustment for a businessman who has encountered "enormous resistance to evolving" within the soccer world. Cardinale's disruptive approach has proven effective in other industries, which is why he speaks so positively about Trump's administration.
In an interview with the Financial Times earlier this year, Cardinale stated: "Trump is taking the lead in re-underwriting the public-private partnership. We have so much expertise in the private sector in America and the President is harnessing that for the country. That's what I'm talking about over here in Italy. That's what I want to see."
Just this week, Cardinale explained why he believes it would be illogical for someone in his position not to maintain ties with Trump's White House. "You have an administration that's pro-business. Anybody in corporate America should have a relationship with that administration," he told the Bloomberg Screentime conference in L.A.
"And that's not because it's Trump. Trump is pro-business, he's very interested in the technology community."