Trump Hijacks FIFA Club World Cup Final as He’s Showered in Boos
President Donald Trump forced his way onto Chelsea’s Club World Cup victory celebration on Sunday, much to the chagrin and confusion of everyone involved. He was booed mercilessly.
Trump, as the host country representative, was only meant to hand the English club their trophy and exit stage left after their 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. Instead he lingered on stage, completely ignoring FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s obvious attempts to get him to leave the platform, situating himself right in front of Cole Palmer, who was named player of the tournament for scoring two of England’s three goals.
Palmer looked particularly confused in the moment, and later confirmed that to reporters.
“Naw, I knew he was going to be there, but I didn’t know he was gonna be on the stand where we lift the trophy,” Palmer said. “So I was a bit confused, yeah.”
Trump didn’t wanna leave as Chelsea were lifting the trophy ???? pic.twitter.com/V1lxWHAoI4
— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) July 13, 2025
Chelsea Captain Reece James echoed his teammate’s sentiments.
“It probably highlights how big the tournament is, the coverage for the tournament final was huge,” James said in response to a question about Trump’s presence. “And yet, answering your question: Before they told me that he was gonna present the trophy and then exit the stage … I thought that he was gonna exit the stage but he wanted to stay.”
Aside from being another excellent example of the president’s general hubris, Trump crashing Chelsea’s victory celebration also showed his impressive lack of situational awareness. Boos rained down on him throughout the event, and although he was undeterred, the tension highlights both Trump’s unpopularity and the controversy surrounding the U.S hosting of the Club Cup and the 2026 World Cup amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants and outright hostility to allies.