Chelsea's Cole Palmer spotted making hilarious three-word response to Donald Trump CWC trophy lift gatecrash
Chelsea’s cup final trophy lift was gatecrashed by US president Donald Trump
Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer has given an insight into what was said when US president Donald Trump gatecrashed their Club World Cup trophy ceremony.
Palmer found the net twice in the first half with two excellent finessed strikes before assisting big summer signing Joao Pedro for the third goal as the Blues secured a comfortable 3-0 win over European and French champions Paris Saint-Germain in a huge upset in New Jersey.
Trump joined FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on the pitch after full-time to present the Chelsea team with the trophy, but bizarrely opted not to follow Infantino out of shot once handing Blues captain Reece James the trophy, instead lingering as the Chelsea’s stars were forced to celebrate around him after becoming world champions.
How Cole Palmer reacted to Donald Trump’s appearance at the trophy celebrations
Midfielder Cole Palmer, who was involved in all three goals, looked visibly bemused by Donald Trump’s appearance on stage as he prepared to celebrate his side’s second major trophy in three months after also helping Chelsea to a Conference League triumph against Real Betis in May.
Viral footage in the build-up to Chelsea’s trophy lift appears to see the 23-year-old playmaker saying: “What’s he doing?” when commenting on Trump, who stood directly in front of the England international as the celebrations were about to start.
Meanwhile, skipper Reece James, when asked about his conversation with the US president added: “To be honest it was quite loud. I couldn't hear too much. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”
What have the Chelsea stars said since?
In an interview after the Club World Cup final, Cole Palmer said that he wasn’t surprised to see Donald Trump after his team’s Club World Cup victory, but admitted he was hugely confused by the president’s decision to remain with the team during the trophy lift. He commented: "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,” he admitted. “I was a bit confused, yeah."
Centre back Levi Colwill added: “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.”
According to The Independent, Trump’s appearance on stage divided opinion, with some fans in attendance reportedly booing the US president. The notably match took place on the anniversary of his attempted assassination in in Butler, Pennsylvania, while campaigning in the 2024 election.
Chelsea’s achievement makes them the first ever winner of the FIFA Club World Cup since the format change, with the next edition taking place four years later in 2029. They are believed to have earned around £84m as a result of their achievements with runners-up PSG also pocketing around £78.4m, according to BBC Sport.