U.S. President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance on the trophy presentation stage following Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in a pre-season match held in New Jersey on Sunday.
Trump presented the winners’ trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James but remained on stage longer than expected. He stood beside James and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, applauding as the Blues lifted the trophy, before eventually exiting the stage along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Speaking after the ceremony, England international James said: “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. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, who scored twice in the match, said he was aware of Trump’s attendance but not his involvement in the post-match presentation. “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,” Palmer said.
Trump watched the match alongside Infantino and praised the atmosphere in an interview with DAZN during half-time. “I’m having a really great time,” he said.
In a longer interview aired later on Sunday, Trump referred to Infantino as “a friend” and commended his leadership in global football. “He’s done such a great job with the league and with soccer – or as they would call it ‘football’, but I guess we call it soccer. I’m not sure that change could be made very easily,” Trump said.
When jokingly asked if he could issue an executive order to rename the sport “football” in the U.S., Trump smiled and replied: “I think we could do that. I think I could do that.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.