Donald Trump will have the chance to pretend he’s won the World Cup in front of billions of soccer fans, according to a report.
The president, 80, is to be offered the privilege of lifting the tournament’s coveted trophy alongside the winning team on July 19 at the MetLife Center in New Jersey.
It comes after he dropped jaws in the soccer world when he appeared on stage alongside Chelsea FC after they won the Club World Cup last year. He remained with the bemused players as they lifted the trophy while Trump suck-up Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, beckoned wildly for him to get out of the way.
According to talkSPORT, a repeat is on the cards after FIFA decided he would not be stopped from handing the trophy to the winning captain and might remain in the thick of things as they celebrate.
Sources told the outlet that it would be left up to Trump’s own discretion whether to stay with the team or step aside after presenting the 18-carat gold FIFA World Cup Trophy, which was first lifted in 1974.
It also cited White House insiders who said Trump will opt to pick up the precious prize.
It is protocol for officials, dignitaries, and leaders to step aside as the team lifts the trophy and celebrates its hard work together.
The U.K.-based radio and news outlet says that Trump has already been told by FIFA that it wants him to hand over the trophy, and that officials from co-host nations Mexico and Canada are invited to take part in the ceremony.
Standard procedure, however, is for the trophy to be placed on a plinth, which the captain of the winning side approaches, picks up, and takes back to their team.
When Trump handed over the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James following the Club World Cup final, James admitted he was left befuddled by his actions.
“Answering your question, before, 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,” James said previously, according to the Mirror.
Attacking midfielder and star player Cole Palmer felt similarly, saying, “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.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and FIFA for comment.
