Trump takes part in Club World Cup ceremony, stays front and center for Chelsea's trophy lift
Trump, who was booed by a significant number of fans here at MetLife Stadium as he walked onstage for the postgame ceremony, initially carried the trophy to James alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Advertisement
Then, in a departure from previous soccer tournaments, Trump remained standing next to James. After a brief exchange of words between the two and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez — and with others, including Cole Palmer, confused behind them — James lifted the trophy with Trump still front and center, and Infantino a few places away.
"Before, they told me he was going to present the trophy, and then exit the stage," James said of Trump afterward. "I thought that he was gonna exit the stage. But I think he wanted to stay."
Palmer, speaking at a postgame news conference, said: "I knew [Trump] was going to be here, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand where we lift the trophy, so I was a bit confused."
Advertisement
Trump clapped and smiled, then hugged and shook hands with Infantino, as Chelsea players jumped up and down. The two presidents then moved to the back of the stage, and eventually exited, as Chelsea players lifted the trophy again and again, with a fireworks show continuing behind them.
It is standard for the head of state of a World Cup host country to be involved in trophy presentations. But typically, they give victorious players the stage to themselves for the trophy lift.
In Qatar, for example, Infantino and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari Emir, presented the World Cup trophy to Lionel Messi. They then stayed off to the side as Messi carried the trophy to a place in front of his Argentina teammates, and lifted it.
FIFA drew criticism that night for allowing Al Thani to drape a traditional Qatari cloak around Messi, and having Messi wear the cloak during the first part of the celebrations.
President Donald Trump lingers during Chelsea's trophy lift. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
At the Club World Cup, though, Infantino and Trump went a step further — a sign of their friendship, and the lengths to which Infantino will go to appease Trump, theoretically in exchange for help from the U.S. government in organizing this Club World Cup and next year's 2026 World Cup.
Advertisement
Infantino has called the relationship "absolutely crucial." He has visited the Oval Office several times, including for the first meeting of the White House's 2026 World Cup Task Force, an inter-agency group that Trump established in March to assist with World Cup planning.
Other members of the task force, and of Trump's cabinet — including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem — were also in attendance at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Vice President J.D. Vance attended an earlier Club World Cup match in Cincinnati, but Sunday's game was the first that Trump attended. Security measures were tightened, with Secret Service agents stationed around the stadium grounds.
Trump arrived in the hour before kickoff. He watched the game from a midfield suite next to Infantino. He was shown briefly on in-stadium video boards prior to the U.S. national anthem — which was played about 10 minutes before kickoff, a departure from previous games — but most fans didn't notice him. There was only a smattering of boos and whistles.
Advertisement
Trump was then more visible during the trophy ceremony. Boos erupted when he was first shown on the field, and drowned out any cheers. A few more rounds of boos and whistles greeted his image the next few times it was shown on video boards.
Chelsea players and coach Enzo Maresca mostly gave apolitical, basic answers when asked about Trump's involvement in the postgame proceedings.
"It probably highlights how important the tournament is," James said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
House Republicans showcase they 'took action' with passage of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
FIRST ON FOX: As the messaging battle over the GOP's sweeping domestic policy package takes center stage in the battle for the 2026 midterm elections, the House Republican campaign committee is launching its first ads since President Donald Trump signed the massive measure into law. "Republicans took action with President Trump to make America more affordable again, passing a Working Families Tax Cut, saving families thousands a year. Plus, no tax on tips and a tax cut on Social Security, benefiting workers and seniors," says the narrator in new ads from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The ads, which will run digitally nationwide, were shared first with Fox News on Tuesday. The spots will be backed by a modest ad buy, according to officials. The Republican-controlled House and Senate, in near-party lines, two weeks ago narrowly passed the measure, known as the "one big, beautiful bill." And the president signed the bill into law during a July 4 ceremony at the White House. The Battle Over The 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Moves From Capitol Hill To The Campaign Trail The measure is stuffed full of Trump's 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. Read On The Fox News App It includes extending the president's signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. By making his first-term tax rates permanent — they were set to expire later this year — the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Political Fight Over 'Big Beautiful Bill' Is Front-and-center In Key Senate Race The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president's controversial immigration crackdown. And the new law also restructures Medicaid — the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation's major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump's tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage. The $3.4 trillion legislative package is also projected to surge the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade. What's Actually In Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' Democrats for months have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. "BREAKING: House Republicans vote to kick 17 million people off health care," the headline in an email from the Democratic National Committee to supporters emphasized moments after the bill passed the House earlier this month. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries charged that "extreme House Republicans just approved the largest cut to Medicaid and food assistance in American history to fund tax breaks for their billionaire donors." And Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Rep. Suzan DelBene pledged that "the DCCC will make sure every battleground voter knows how vulnerable House Republicans abandoned them by passing the most unpopular piece of legislation in modern American history, and we're going to take back the House majority because of it." Democrats spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted last month, before the measure was passed into law, that indicate the bill's popularity in negative territory. But Republicans have also been going on offense, targeting Democrats for voting against tax cuts. "Republicans are delivering real relief while Democrats deliver excuses. President Trump and House Republicans are cutting taxes, lowering costs, and putting working families first, just like we did before, and just like we'll do again," NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News in a statement on Tuesday. And NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, in an opinion piece published earlier this month, charged that House Democrats "rejected common sense" by voting against the bill. "And we will make sure each one of them has to answer for it," he vowed, as he pointed to next year's congressional elections, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin majority in the article source: House Republicans showcase they 'took action' with passage of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Sullivan's Crossing' Dethroned In Netflix's Top 10 List By A New Show
Sullivan's Crossing It's Tuesday, and unlike Squid Game, a new show at #1 on Netflix's Top 10 list could not stand up to the behemoth that is Netflix's big Monday night program. That would of course be WWE Monday Night RAW, which has now unseated Netflix's big licensed hit, Sullivan's Crossing, which has ascended the ranks and become a rare, non-Netflix-original. Sullivan's Crossing has been planted at #1 for a while now, the low key, drama-romance series that originally aired on CTV and the CW airing two seasons on Netflix. Viewers can already watch season 3 of the series, but not on Netflix, rather on the CW site or app, which will be full of ads, but at least it's better than nothing. It should be on Netflix in August, however. Season 4 of Sullivan's Crossing is already greenlit, and presumably Netflix will snag that as well, given how well these first two seasons are performing. Top 10 Squid Game season 3 remains at #3 well after launch, no great surprise given its record-setting performance at release, and it continues to climb the overall most-watched charts on Netflix. It's been there so long it doesn't even have a 'new season' badge on it anymore. A new season of Quarterback, the Drive to Survive-for-the-NFL series, has now hit Netflix, coming in at #4 currently. This time around the show is following the lives and games of Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins over the course of last season. The first season did well, and this seems like a show that's going to air for quite a while here. The Waterfront, the original Netflix crime drama, is still in the top 5 at #5, and fans are still waiting for news about the show being renewed for a second season. As I've said before, I believe this is almost a sure thing, given its performance, but it can just take a while to get these sorts of things finalized, and I'm expecting we will hear something in the coming weeks. The final season of Sandman did not do amazingly well, down to #9 already, but that was the last one, so it doesn't exactly matter. One not-amazing story so far is the recent debut of Lena Dunham's comedy Too Much, which has arrived at #10, quite poor for a new series, and may drop off the list in short order. I expect Sullivan's Crossing to return to #1 soon, but how long it stays there is unclear. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy
Washington Post
34 minutes ago
- Washington Post
France holds Bastille Day military parade that, years ago, inspired Trump
PARIS — The City of Light decked itself out in red, white and blue on Bastille Day for the yearly military parade and fireworks show that commemorates the French Revolution and the history of the Republic — and which inspired President Donald Trump to stage his own military procession. About 7,000 people, plus 200 horses, marched down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Monday as more than 100 aircraft flew overhead in an elaborate display of France's military strength, global alliances and strategic priorities.
