Donald Trump was booed after joining captain Rodri on the podium as Spain lifted the World Cup 2026 trophy after defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra-time in the final.
The US president attended the blockbuster match at MetLife Stadium, sitting alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino to take in the contest.
Trump could be seen behind bullet-proof glass, with First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump also sitting alongside him for the game.
And Trump then became part of the Fifa ceremony, as he did last year when Chelsea won the Fifa Club World Cup in the same stadium after victory over Paris Saint-Germain, joining Reece James at the heart of the celebrations to lift the trophy.
This time, after presenting the trophy to Spain, he moved towards the edge of the group for the initial lift, ensuring he would be in the photo, before Infantino subtly tried to move him away from the scene.
The reaction to the president in New Jersey on Sunday night was audibly negative with boos heard around the stadium.
Trump walked out onto the pitch alongside Infantino to loud jeers and whistle before shaking hands with numerous guests, including Governor of Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The ambient crowd noise in the stadium was about 78 decibels and the booing brought it to 84.
During the presentation, Trump handed medals over to the officials and players.
Spain triumphed 1-0 after extra-time thanks to Ferran Torres’ 106th minute goal deep into a dismal match in New Jersey, burying Nico Williams’ knock-down.
Argentina, who went down to 10 men thanks to Enzo Fernandez’s red card, went down in flames after Leandro Paredes’ red card at full-time, after grabbing Eric Garcia’s throat and reports of punches being thrown.
Source: Independent
--Agencies
