Donald Trump has claimed that the Club World Cup trophy that has featured prominently in the Oval Office will stay there, and that Fifa made a copy of the trophy that was awarded to Chelsea after their win in the tournament’s final on Sunday.
Trump attended the final along with numerous members of his cabinet and Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino. The pair of presidents jointly presented the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James, with Trump staying front and center despite the apparent confusion of Chelsea players and the pleading of Infantino.
The incident is just the latest in a long series of intersections between the US president and the world of Fifa, which began in earnest this year soon after Trump started his second term in office. Infantino unveiled the Club World Cup trophy for the first time in an event at the Oval Office in March, and the trophy has stayed there for all subsequent events in the historic space since.
“I said, When are you going to pick up the trophy? [They said] ‘We’re never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office. We’re making a new one,’” Trump said in an interview with official Club World Cup broadcaster Dazn on Sunday. “And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting, but it is in the Oval [Office] right now.”
The exact differences between the trophies are unknown, if there are any. Fifa has been approached for clarification.
At other points in the interview, Trump suggested he could put forth an executive order decreeing that soccer be called football in the United States, and said leaders of other countries have called the US “the hottest country in the world”, in reference to economic activity and political positioning.
“It’s about unity,” Trump said of Fifa’s bringing the Club World Cup and the men’s World Cup to the United States. “It’s about everybody getting together and a lot of love between countries. I guess this is probably the most international sport, so it can really bring the world together.”
Planning for next year’s World Cup has faced a few hurdles presented by the second Trump administration, including travel bans on countries that would affect fans hoping to travel to the United States to see the games (though there are exceptions for athletes and staff), threats of Ice raids at games and long wait times for visas to get into the country.
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