Trump has today succumbed to criticism, saying he misspoke and meant to say he didn’t have any reason to doubt Russian interference with the 2016 election.
It was supposed to be a touching gesture during a highly anticipated press conference between the world's greatest superpower rivals.
The now notorious World Cup soccer ball gift, handed to the US President by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin during the rambling joint presentation last week, raised eyebrows from several US politicians and sparked jokes, cartoons and conspiracy theories on social media.
Many speculated that the seemingly innocent sporting gift could contain a recording device which would allow the Russians to listen to top secret information from the White House.
"If it were me, I'd check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted shortly after the meeting.
The ball has been the subject of online debate since it was handed over. Photo / AP
Now, it turns the cynics might be partly right, because the infamous ball is understood to contain transmitting technology.
That's because the markings on the Adidas product indicate that it is embedded with a NFC (Near Field Communication) chip with a tiny antenna, which allows it to communicate with nearby devices, such as phones and tablets.
Once it is paired with a device, the hi-tech chip allows fans to access "exclusive information about the product, Adidas football content, special competitions and challenges, etc," according to the Adidas website.
The website goes on to explain that the NFC chip is placed inside the ball under a logo — which resembles the icon for a Wi-Fi signal — during manufacturing.
The logo is the same one as the one on the infamous ball handed to Mr Trump at the news conference in Helsinki last week.
The Wi-Fi signal logo means the ball has been loaded with a microchip. Photo / AP
Can it be hacked?
Adidas says the chip simply allows soccer fans to access player videos, competitions and other content on their mobile devices when they are close to the ball.
The feature is included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match ball that's sold on the Adidas website for $US165 ($A222).
And, the product description states that the chip itself can't be modified.
"It is not possible to delete or rewrite the encoded parameters," the website states.
However, US authorities say the gift has been vigorously screened for security threats.
"The security screening process that is done for all gifts was done for the soccer ball," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in a statement. "We are not going to comment further on security procedures."
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump holds a soccer ball during a press conference after the meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo / AP
However, according to Bloomberg, the White House has declined to say whether any modifications to the ball had been identified or where the ball would be kept going forward.
Scott Schober, a cybersecurity expert, told CNN the technology would be unlikely to be used for espionage and that any gift a US President receives would be thoroughly vetted to ensure it is safe.
"This is the kind of technology used for mobile payment with smartphones, and it involves bringing the two devices very close, in this case typically within a couple of centimetres. If anyone had any nefarious motives, they probably picked the wrong technology," he said.
"They're going to be carefully looking at any gift. They're probably going to X-ray it and sweep it to see if there's any radio frequency emanating out of it."
Awkward moment
The ball was handed to President Trump just after he been praising Moscow's hosting of the World Cup — with Mr Putin noting the US, together with Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 competition.
"We do host it and we hope we do as good as a job. That's very nice. That will go to my son Barron. We have no question. In fact, Melania, here you go," Mr Trump said, grinning widely as he received the offering.
In an awkward moment, the US leader then threw the gift to first lady Melania Trump, but she missed it and it bounced across the floor.
It was reportedly caught by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was sitting next to the first lady in the front row. He handed it to her.
Finally, if it were me, I’d check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House.
