Did a Soccer Ball Putin Gave Trump Contain a Transmitter Chip?

On 16 July 2018, U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a controversial summit meeting in Helsinki, Finland. During an equally controversial press conference following one meeting between the two men, Putin presented Trump with a 2018 FIFA World Cup “Official Matchball” as a gift, Many, including U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, warned Trump to make sure the ball was not “bugged” with an embedded listening device. The notion that the gift from Putin was bugged gained more attention after Bloomberg commented on the probable existence of a small Near Field Communication (NFC) chip implanted in the ball. “Putin gave Trump a soccer ball that may have a transmitter chip,” CNN reported.