The US president attended the medal ceremony along with fellow World Cup co-hosts Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. President Trump then presented the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri, who was seen wandering around the stage as he held the trophy aloft and celebrated. Before that, President Trump greeted all the players on stage, shook hands with members of both teams, presented medals, and exchanged a few words.
The president repeated the same words of encouragement throughout the ceremony, said Nicola Hickling, a professional lip reader at LipReader on behalf of Covers.com.
Hickling said Trump told each player, “You’re a champion,” then added, “You’re a great player.” The brief exchange, which took place during the trophy presentation, drew a lot of attention, with supporters inside the stadium loudly jeering at Trump.
There were loud boos and whistles around MetLife when he came onto the field with Infantino. Despite the reaction from most of the audience, Trump remained prominent throughout the ceremony.
He helped award medals to both the runners-up Argentina team and the winning Spain team, before carrying the World Cup trophy to the podium with Infantino.
While Rodri accepted the trophy, Trump remained on stage during Spain’s celebrations, recreating a scene similar to last year’s Club World Cup final at the same venue.
Infantino appeared to signal the president to step aside before Spain hoisted the trophy, but Trump remained with his players for several minutes while Rodri completed the traditional lifting of the trophy.
After a tense final match that went goalless for over 100 minutes, Spain won their second World Cup title with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal in the second extra period.
Argentina, aiming to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the Men’s World Cup, found it difficult to create goal chances throughout the 120-minute match.
Their challenge became much tougher when Enzo Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card late in regular time.
Trump arrived at the stadium on Marine One and watched the game from a luxurious suite with First Lady Melania Trump and Infantino.
During the match, he was also seen on television cameras admiring the World Cup trophy before it was returned for the post-match presentation. His presence marked his first appearance in a World Cup match.
President Trump has previously expressed his ambition to see the United States host the World Cup again within the next few years.
