Trump joins Chelsea’s Club World Cup trophy lift: What Cole Palmer said as players left confused

The match, played in front of 81,118 spectators at MetLife Stadium, concluded with Trump stepping onto the podium to present the trophy to James before standing beside him and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during the lift.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino later joined the stage and appeared to gesture for Trump to step aside but the president remained in place momentarily, applauding alongside the players.

James said after the match: "They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage, and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment."

Teammate Cole Palmer, who scored twice in the final, also commented on the unusual presence: "I knew he was going to be here but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy. I was a bit confused, yes."

Palmer was seen in viral footage asking James, while looking at Trump: “What’s he doing? What’s he doing?”

Trump attended the match alongside FIFA’s Infantino and spoke to DAZN at half-time, saying: “I’m having a really great time.”

In a longer interview aired later, Trump praised Infantino’s leadership, saying: "Gianni is a friend of mine, he's done such a great job with the league and with soccer – or as they would call it 'football', but I guess we call it soccer. I'm not sure that change could be made very easily. But it's great to watch – and this is a little bit of an upset that we're watching today, isn't it?"

When asked whether he might issue an executive order to rebrand the sport in the US from “soccer” to “football,” Trump joked: "I think we could do that. I think I could do that."

The appearance added to the spectacle of the revamped Club World Cup final, which featured extensive pre-match entertainment and a half-time show more reminiscent of the Super Bowl. The tournament will return to US soil next summer when the country co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

However, reactions on social media were mixed, with many calling Trump’s behaviour “narcissistic.” One said on TikTok: “The most narcissistic person ever.” Another said: “Bro think he part of the team”. TikToker Jack Mac said: “I get some people don’t like him, I get some people hate him, but this is just objectively hilarious...like the FIFA president tried to get him to come (off the stage) bt he said, no, no, lift it lift it.”

“The photos are just unbelievable. He’s going to do this next year during the World Cup. If you win the World Cup next year, he will be doing this. Be prepared.”