Seth Meyers has a new theory as to why Donald Trump was booed at the FIFA World Cup final.
The president’s reception at the game will come as no surprise, as he seems to be jeered at by every audience at every sporting event he dares to attend. Somehow, the debacle of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden didn’t stop Trump from wanting to show his face at the soccer final in New Jersey.
Meyers, late-night host and Trump nemesis, called Trump’s appearance “awkward and embarrassing,” but offered a sound explanation about why “the president got booed in public again.”
“At this point, I’m guessing Trump’s staff tries to make him feel better by telling him he’s just being followed around by ghosts,” hypothesized Meyers.
“Mr. President, remember, no one’s booing you. That’s just Mitch McConnell saying hello,” he quipped.
“You guys, I’m just kidding. Mitch McConnell is definitely alive. They always make you stay in the hospital an extra week after you put your jeans on,” Meyers continued, displaying a much-debated photograph of the Kentucky senator in the hospital.
McConnell, 84, has been the subject of much speculation since the lawmaker was hospitalized over a month ago. Vague statements from his team prompted proof-of-life demands. Last week, the senator appeared to oblige, but did little to keep the rumor mill from churning.
Meyers moved on swiftly from McConnell to focus on Trump’s humiliation at Sunday’s World Cup Final, in which Spain and Argentina squared off for the winning title. The president watched alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Melania Trump, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Soccer fans welcomed Trump by jeering at him each time he appeared on the screen.
Trump later presented Spain, the winning team, with the trophy, where he was also booed as he walked across the field to deliver the prize. “It doesn’t seem like many people wanted Trump at this event,” Meyers said. The late-night host also pointed out how Trump managed to center himself in the celebrations, getting in the way of the winning team.
“In fact, Rodri, the captain of the Spanish team, tried to usher Trump off the stage so they could start celebrating,” Meyers said, panning to clips of Trump hovering awkwardly as Spain’s team attempted to have their moment in the spotlight. “‘OK, grandpa. Time for bed.’”
“My other favorite moment came when Spanish forward Victor Muñoz started celebrating, then had to stop when Trump wandered in front of him,” said Meyers. “It’s like being at a house party in high school, getting ready to cheer a buddy on for a keg stand, and then your weirdest neighbor walks into the house.”
The late show went on to display a montage of all the times Trump, 80, has been shouted and booed by audiences over the years. After a handful of clips, Meyers joked, “If that montage gets any longer, we’re going to have to release it on DVD.”
