'A bit confused': Soccer stars baffled as Trump hogs victory limelight
President Donald Trump left soccer stars baffled as he presented them with the Club World Cup trophy Sunday — then stayed to hog the limelight of their victory.
Trump took to the stage after Chelsea shocked Paris Saint-Germain with an unexpected 3-0 win Sunday.
But, instead of handing over the prize and leaving the team to their celebrations, the president lingered — despite clear indications that he should leave.
"I was a bit confused, yes," match-winner Cole Palmer, who scored twice, told PA Media.
“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."
After presenting the trophy alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump was clearly instructed to step aside but simply wouldn't budge.
"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," Chelsea captain Reece James said afterward.
The bizarre scene left players visibly bemused as they attempted to celebrate their £90 million jackpot victory while Trump remained planted center stage amid the fireworks and confetti.
Even FIFA president Infantino had to personally invite Trump to move aside — a request the president ignored, PA Media reported.
During the match, Trump had gushed about the "tremendous sport" and even joked about using executive orders to rename soccer to football in America, telling DAZN: "I think we could do that, I think I could do that."
Earlier in the game, Trump had been booed by many of the 81,000 soccer fans at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.