On July 19, Donald Trump is set to present the World Cup trophy to the champions, as confirmed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino and Trump have developed a strong rapport leading up to the finals, although the U.S. President has been largely silent regarding the tournament since its commencement on June 11.
In a recent interview with Fox and Friends, Infantino revealed that Trump will play a prominent role in the trophy presentation at the New York New Jersey Stadium, mirroring his participation in last year’s Club World Cup final, which Chelsea won.
“We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course,” Infantino stated.
When questioned about whether they would jointly present the trophy, Infantino replied, “Of course, we are together all the time.”
During the Club World Cup final, Trump lingered on the winners’ podium after presenting the trophy to Chelsea’s Reece James.
“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 recounted afterwards.
In response to what Trump had said to him, James noted, “To be honest it was quite loud. I couldn’t hear too much. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”
Cole Palmer, who scored two goals against Paris Saint-Germain, expressed his surprise regarding Trump’s presence. “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.” he shared.
