Donald Trump attracted significant attention during the Club World Cup final held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Ohio senator and FIFA vice-president JD Vance. Their appearance ushered in mixed feelings from the audience and focused attention toward his current status amidst FIFA’s dealings and affairs. What a coincidence. This stunning event occurred immediately following Trump’s presence at the inaugural public meeting of the World Cup task force. His increased presence only deepened his influence in global football debates.
At the first meeting of the World Cup task force, Trump was seated front and center beside Infantino and Vance. This positioning served to illustrate his close ties with FIFA’s leadership. In fact, just earlier this year, Trump was escorted to the Middle East alongside Infantino. Notably, this trip delayed Infantino’s arrival to the FIFA congress in Paraguay by hours. The late arrival prompted protests from FIFA delegates, who walked out of the gathering, highlighting the tensions surrounding Trump’s involvement with FIFA.
At the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup final, Chelsea’s Reece James joined his teammates in hoisting the trophy high above his head. And yet, Trump was the star of this show – a hugely important event. He was fifth from the right in a celebratory group photograph taken with Chelsea players and owners. His influence became positively immense once he started appearing with Infantino, Tom Brady, and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. They each came together in a luxury box on the stadium’s fifty-yard line.
The mood totally changed when Trump rolled up on the stadium’s video boards. He chose to stand for the national anthem, and immediately one corner of the stadium started booing the guy. Their booing reverberated for almost 10 seconds. This rejection would be a surprising and disappointing contrast to the celebratory scene that welcomed the Chelsea squad as well as their fans. As part of this change, the U.S. national anthem is now played shortly before kickoff. Perhaps the biggest driver of this change is Trump’s own presence at the event.
Watch closely as Trump made his way under elaborate security precautions into MetLife Stadium. His motorcade made an unusual entrance, passing directly beneath and alongside the players’ tunnel into the arena. This made for a comparably low-key arrival 30 minutes before kickoff. Upon disembarking his vehicle, Trump and his traveling party were afforded protection under a large tent with curtains closed, reducing public sight lines.
As the presentation of the trophy progressed, Infantino seemed to step off-screen as Trump stayed prominently in view on stage. Together, they jointly carried the Club World Cup trophy to the Chelsea team, an act that underscored Trump’s involvement in significant moments of the event despite mixed reactions from attendees.