Trump seen pocketing FIFA medal as he walks on stage to hand Chelsea replica club championship trophy
U.S. President Donald Trump was seen sneakily pocketing a FIFA Club World Cup winners medal onstage moments before he handed Chelsea a replica trophy.
The president was given the medal to look at by Gianni Infantino while handing others out to the winning squad at New Jersey's Metlife Stadium Sunday. Though videos showed Trump later tucked the medal into his suit blazer when the FIFA CEO seemingly reached for it back.
Advertisement
Infantino appeared to shrug off the incident, flashing the thumbs up and allowing Trump to keep the medal.
Eagle-eyed social media users were quick to react to the clip, which went viral over the weekend and following the game, with one labeling the brazen act 'The Art of the Steal.' 'He didn't play a minute,' complained another.
Donald Trump was seen sneakily pocketing a FIFA Club World Cup winners medal onstage moments before he handed Chelsea a replica trophy (REUTERS)
Donald Trump was seen sneakily pocketing a FIFA Club World Cup winners medal onstage moments before he handed Chelsea a replica trophy (REUTERS)
It comes after Trump himself revealed that the winner's trophy that he had handed to Chelsea captain Rhys James had actually been a replica, and that FIFA officials had given him the real silverware.
Advertisement
Before the showpiece game, held at the 80,000-seat stadium in New Jersey, Trump told broadcaster DAZN that the real trophy currently sits in the Oval Office, after it was gifted to him by Infantino during a visit in March.
'They said, 'Could you hold this trophy for a little while?' We put it in the Oval Office,' Trump said. 'And then I said, 'When are you going to pick up the trophy?' He says, 'We're never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office. We're making a new one.''
'And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting…It's in the Oval right now,' he added.
Soccer fans, and even the players themselves, were also baffled after the president also made no effort to leave the stage after presenting the fake trophy. Star player Cole Palmer (center left) was seen reacting with astonishment as Trump initially took pride of place (Getty Images)
Soccer fans, and even the players themselves, were also baffled after the president also made no effort to leave the stage after presenting the fake trophy. Star player Cole Palmer (center left) was seen reacting with astonishment as Trump initially took pride of place (Getty Images)
Trump himself revealed that the winners trophy that he had handed to Chelsea captain Rhys James had actually been a replica, and that FIFA officials had given him the real silverware (Getty Images)
Trump himself revealed that the winners trophy that he had handed to Chelsea captain Rhys James had actually been a replica, and that FIFA officials had given him the real silverware (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Soccer fans, and even the players themselves, were also baffled after the president also made no effort to leave the stage after presenting the fake trophy – opting instead to stand and clap alongside them.
Star player Cole Palmer, who scored two of Chelsea's three goals in the victory over Paris St Germaine, was seen reacting with astonishment as Trump initially took pride of place next to James.
In a later interview, Palmer admitted: 'I knew he was gonna be there but I didn't know he was gonna be on the stand when we lifted the trophy so I was a bit confused.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The House is poised to OK Trump's $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected late Thursday to approve President Donald Trump's request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid as Republicans target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The White House had described the package as a test case and said that if Congress went along, more would come. The House's approval would mark the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and even then the results were more mixed. Unlike other presidents, Trump is getting nearly all the cuts he requested. Opponents voiced concerns not only about the programs targeted, but about Congress ceding its spending powers to the executive branch as investments approved on a bipartisan basis are being subsequently canceled on party-line votes. No Democrats supported the measure when it passed the Senate, 51-48, in the early morning hours Thursday. Two Republicans also voted no. 'We need to get back to fiscal sanity and this is an important step," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. The package cancels about $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and nearly $8 billion for a variety of foreign aid programs, many designed to help countries where drought, disease and political unrest endure. The effort to claw back a sliver of federal spending comes just weeks after Republicans also muscled through Trump's tax and spending cut bill without any Democratic support. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that measure will increase the U.S. debt by about $3.3 trillion over the coming decade. A heavy blow to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting The cancellation of $1.1 billion for the CPR represents the full amount it is due to receive during the next two budget years. The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. The corporation distributes more than two-thirds of the money to more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with much of the remainder assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service to support national programming. Democrats were unsuccessful in restoring in the Senate. Lawmakers with large rural constituencies have voiced particular concern about what the cuts to public broadcasting could mean for some local public stations in their state. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., said Tuesday that the stations are "not just your news — it is your tsunami alert, it is your landslide alert, it is your volcano alert.' Less than a day later, as the Senate debated the bill, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the remote Alaska Peninsula, triggering tsunami warnings on local public broadcasting stations that advised people to get to higher ground. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he secured a deal from the White House that some money administered by the Interior Department would be repurposed to subsidize Native American public radio stations in about a dozen states. But Kate Riley, president and CEO of America's Public Television Stations, a network of locally owned and operated stations, said that deal was 'at best a short-term, half-measure that will still result in cuts and reduced service at the stations it purports to save.' Inside the cuts to foreign aid Among the foreign aid cuts are $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and family reunification for refugees and $496 million to provide food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts. There also is a $4.15 billion cut for programs that aim to boost economies and democratic institutions in developing nations. Democrats argued that the Republican administration's animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America's standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the amount it takes to save a starving child or prevent the transmission of disease is minuscule, even as the investments secure cooperation with the U.S. on other issues. The cuts made to foreign aid programs through Trump's Department of Government Efficiency were having life-and-death consequences around the world, he said. 'People are dying right now, not in spite of us but because of us,' Schatz said. 'We are causing death.' After objections from several Republicans, GOP leaders took out a $400 million cut to PEPFAR, a politically popular program to combat HIV/AIDS that is credited with saving millions of lives since its creation under Republican President George W. Bush. Looking ahead to future spending fights Democrats say the bill upends a legislative process that typically requires lawmakers from both parties to work together to fund the nation's priorities. Triggered by the official rescissions request from the White House, the legislation only needs a simple majority vote to advance instead of the 60 votes usually required to break a filibuster. That meant Republicans could use their 53-47 majority to pass it along party lines. In the end, two Republican senators, Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, joined with Democrats in voting against the bill, though a few other Republicans also raised concerns about the process. 'Let's not make a habit of this,' said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who voted for the bill but said he was wary that the White House wasn't providing enough information on what exactly will be cut. Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the imminent successful passage of the rescissions shows 'enthusiasm' for getting the nation's fiscal situation under control. 'We're happy to go to great lengths to get this thing done,' he said during a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. In response to questions about the relatively small size of the cuts -- $9 billion -- Vought said that was because 'I knew it would be hard' to pass in Congress. Vought said another rescissions package is 'likely to come soon.' 'But we're not there yet,' he said. ___ Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. Kevin Freking And Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Olivia Smith is the latest big money move in women's soccer as transfer fees rise rapidly
Olivia Smith has set a new benchmark in women's soccer with her move from Liverpool to Arsenal for a reported 1 million pounds ($1.34 million). That makes the 20-year-old Canada forward the most expensive player in the history of the women's game and her move is the just the latest record-breaking deal in recent times. United States defender Naomi Girma became women's soccer's first million-dollar player when she completed her move from San Diego Wave to Chelsea in January for a reported 900,000 pounds ($1.1 million). And records have tumbled regularly as the profile of the women's game continues to rise. Here's a look at how the record transfer fee (in USD) in the women's game has increased: ___ 2002: Milene Domingues The Brazilian midfielder moved from Fiammamonza in Italy to Rayo Vallecano in Spain for $310,000. 2020: Pernille Harder The Denmark forward left Wolfsburg to join Chelsea in England for $355,000. 2022: Keira Walsh The England midfielder moved from Manchester City to Barcelona for $513,000. 2024: Mayra Ramirez The Colombia forward left Levante in Spain to join Chelsea in a deal worth $542,000. 2024: Racheal Kundananji The Zambia striker moved from Madrid CFF in Spain to Bay FC in the United States for $788,000. 2025: Naomi Girma The U.S. international became the first $1 million female player with her move to Chelsea. 2025: Olivia Smith It didn't take long for the record to be broken again — this time by the Canada forward, who is the first 1 million pound ($1.34 million) player. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer: James Robson And Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Olivia Smith is the latest big money move in women's soccer as transfer fees rise rapidly
Olivia Smith has set a new benchmark in women's soccer with her move from Liverpool to Arsenal for a reported 1 million pounds ($1.34 million). That makes the 20-year-old Canada forward the most expensive player in the history of the women's game and her move is the just the latest record-breaking deal in recent times. United States defender Naomi Girma became women's soccer's first million-dollar player when she completed her move from San Diego Wave to Chelsea in January for a reported 900,000 pounds ($1.1 million). Here's a look at how the record transfer fee (in USD) in the women's game has increased: ___ 2002: Milene Domingues The Brazilian midfielder moved from Fiammamonza in Italy to Rayo Vallecano in Spain for $310,000. 2020: Pernille Harder The Denmark forward left Wolfsburg to join Chelsea in England for $355,000. 2022: Keira Walsh The England midfielder moved from Manchester City to Barcelona for $513,000. 2024: Mayra Ramirez The Colombia forward left Levante in Spain to join Chelsea in a deal worth $542,000. 2024: Racheal Kundananji The Zambia striker moved from Madrid CFF in Spain to Bay FC in the United States for $788,000. 2025: Naomi Girma The U.S. international became the first $1 million female player with her move to Chelsea. 2025: Olivia Smith It didn't take long for the record to be broken again — this time by the Canada forward, who is the first 1 million pound ($1.34 million) player. ___ ___
