The president’s behavior during the trophy lift also raised some eyebrows
Donald Trump finally made an appearance at the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, as he presented the World Cup and medals to winners Spain.
The US president also greeted Lionel Messi and the rest of the Argentina team, as he placed the second place medals around their neck, alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
After the dramatic end to the game and post-match chaos, Trump walked onto the New York/New Jersey Stadium pitch, as he prepared for his big moment.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, whose country also hosted the 2026 World Cup, also joined for the ceremony, but all eyes were on the POTUS, how the players interacted with him, and what he said.
Although we know Trump isn’t one for a filter, it looked like he was on his best behavior last night, repeating one phrase to the players, a lip reader reveals.
Nicola Hickling, of LipReader Ltd, on behalf of Covers.com, told the Mirror that Trump didn’t have a customized message for each player, instead, repeating: “You are a champ,” before adding: “Amazing player.”
However, Argentine centre-back Cristian Romero appeared to snub the president’s handshake during the presentation, seemingly walking straight past him after he received his medal from Infantino.
Despite delivering a short message and not taking up too much of the players’ time when placing the medals around the neck, Trump seemingly decided it was his time to shine when it was trophy time.
The POTUS, who walked out onto the pitch with a number of boos, was seen holding the trophy with the FIFA president, as they presented it to Spain.
However, instead of letting the Spanish team have their moment with the trophy, which they won for the second time in the team’s history, it seems Trump couldn’t help but remain the center of attention.
The 80-year-old stayed firmly on the stage, choosing to stand there and smile, instead of moving to the side and letting the players have their moment, like Infantino did.
He also gave a thumbs up sign and was seen doing the famous dance with his arms with one of the Spanish players.
However, after being ushered away by Infantino, Trump finally let the winners enjoy their moment.
“Donald Trump photobombing Spain’s World Cup celebration is the single most predictable moment of 2026,” one viral post on X read.
Someone else joked: “Trump consistently stays on stage whenever giving out football trophies. As if he won.”
It’s not the first time a similar incident has happened. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final was hosted at the very same stadium, with the US leader once again helping to award the players.
With Trump hanging around, the moment created a viral meme of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer famously looking around in utter confusion.
We’d expect nothing less!
Where is the next World Cup?
Morocco, Portugal and Spain will co-host the FIFA World Cup in 2030, marking the football tournament’s 100th anniversary.
It’s set to run from 8 June 2030 to 21 July 2030, making it the longest World Cup in history at 44 days.
FIFA also announced that three separate matches will take place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, as a tribute to the first-ever World Cup back in 1930.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield
Topics: Donald Trump, World Cup, Football, Spain
