President Donald Trump tried to make the most triumphant moment of the World Cup champions’ lives all about himself.
In a particularly embarrassing global moment for the president, Trump, 80, tried to join in on Spain’s hoisting of the FIFA World Cup trophy, even as his friend—the league’s president, Gianni Infantino—tried to stop him.
After presenting the trophy to one of the team’s star players and Golden Ball recipient, midfielder Rodri, Trump refused to leave the stage as the team celebrated their victory over Argentina by lifting the trophy up into the air.
Just before the ceremonious moment, Infantino ran across the stage to Trump, appearing to try to escort him away to let the champions celebrate as a team.
The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time Trump has tried to steal the spotlight from World Cup champions.
During last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final ceremony, Trump shamelessly joined Chelsea as the club hoisted their trophy on stage, which was also held at MetLife Stadium.
Moments before he presented the award to the victorious Spain squad on Sunday, Trump was greeted by a deafening chorus of boos as he and Infantino entered onto the field.
The jeers were even more powerful than when the president was first shown on the Jumbotron just after Jennifer Hudson’s performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the kick-off. Shortly after those boos began, the view of Trump was swapped with an aerial shot of the stadium.
The president watched the game from a box and was joined by numerous global leaders and Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Earlier in the tournament, Trump used his cozy relationship with Infantino to influence a red card decision made against U.S. player Folarin Balogun, even bragging about it during a World Cup reception event in New York on Friday.
“You had unforgettable moments. Probably the most unforgettable is when they gave a gentleman—is it a red card? And I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation… I said I’d like to wage a complaint,“ Trump said.
“It was so much better the way it worked out because there was no controversy,” he added.
Balogun’s ejection was rescinded just before the U.S. team played Belgium in the round-of-16. Despite the decision, the U.S. lost and was eliminated from the tournament.
Following Trump’s intervention and the U.S. team’s subsequent loss, rumors of a “Trump Curse” quickly began trending.
At the last sporting event he attended, Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, Trump rooted for his hometown New York Knicks. The team lost that game, but won the rest of the series against the San Antonio Spurs 4-1.
During Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, Trump also openly supported the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by 18 points.
