Spain marked their victory on Monday with a parade of open-top buses, and thousands of fans lined up on the streets of Madrid to celebrate. During the celebration, Torres appeared to parody Trump with his clothing choices. He wore a red hat similar to the “Make America Great Again” hats popularized by Trump supporters, but with the message “Make Spain Great Again” written across the front.
Trump was tasked with attending the World Cup final, handing out medals and helping award the iconic golden trophy.
He remained on stage with FIFA president Gianni Infantino as Spain celebrated their victory, but later clarified that he did not want to see him in the victory photo.
The official account of Spain’s National Soccer League shared a doctored, unedited shot of President Trump on Instagram. The official World Cup account had similar content, showing only the president’s shoulders.
Trump’s repeated attempts to intervene during the convention drew much criticism. He spearheaded the bid for the US to host the event in 2017 and was instrumental in getting it over the line.
He was awarded the newly created FIFA Peace Prize in the group stage draw at the end of last year, a decision that was met with confusion throughout the football world.
The move was seen by many as a desperate effort by President Trump to use his political and financial power to favor the host nation. Balogun ended up playing against Belgium, but was unable to save the United States from a humiliating 4–1 loss.
Even before the finals began, President Trump had already proposed a second bid to host the World Cup and publicly chided Infantino.
He said, “Gianni has a great idea. We should do it in two countries. I hope he presents it again next time and then in another country.”
“It will alleviate some of the anger and shock. Based on the numbers, we will be calling for it again soon.”
