Chelsea hero Cole Palmer has explained his baffled reaction to Donald Trump’s bizarre presence during the Club World Cup champions’ trophy celebrations.
The US president stole the show at MetLife Stadium on Sunday when he shockingly inserted himself front and center during the Blues’ trophy lift.
The 79-year-old had been given VIP treatment as he soaked up Chelsea’s 3-0 win over PSG alongside First Lady Melania and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in front of 80,000 spectators.
And he stepped into the spotlight after the final whistle, having been granted the honor of presenting the Blues with the trophy.
It was anticipated that the Commander-in-Chief would step aside after giving the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James – as is customary – but instead, refused to relinquish the stage.
Trump’s on-stage presence left Chelsea players bewildered with Palmer, who bagged a brace in the victory, visibly unimpressed as he uttered, ‘What’s he doing?’
Cole Palmer had looked baffled as US president Donald Trump joined their trophy celebrations
Trump bizarrely gatecrashed the celebrations after opting not to leave the stage
Trump had played a key role in presenting tournament awards following the final
The England soccer star later spoke out on his confusion, confirming the president’s celebration participation was entirely unplanned.
‘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 so I was a bit confused, yeah,’ he said via BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella.
Trump had earlier presented Palmer with the golden ball award with the 23-year-old midfielder looking as equally baffled during that presentation.
After presenting medals to both the victors and losers, the Commander-in-Chief was spotted front and center as the Blues hoisted the trophy.
Following his presentation of the trophy to Chelsea, he was asked to leave the stage by Infantino but bizarrely chose to stay put.
After being spotted touching down near MetLife, Trump surfaced inside the stadium loud cheers could be heard from the 80,000 in attendance.
Trump’s son, Donald Jr . and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson were also seen headed to the game, and they shared a kiss on the runway as they waited for the president to arrive.
The outing falls on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, and significant security measures were put in place for his arrival.
The president had presented Cole Palmer with the Best Player of the Tournament trophy
The Blues star was caught looking unimpressed by the president’s presence onstage
The 23-year-old addressed the media following Chelsea’s celebrations on the field
Trump took center stage as he attended the Club World Cup final with First Lady Melania
The president was put on screen at MetLife during the singing of the national anthem prior to the game, and reports emerged from the stadium that he was booed before the stadium camera cut away from him.
MetLife Stadium later echoed with more boos when Trump, joined by Infantino, made his way out onto the field to present the champions with the trophy.
The president’s involvement in the trophy presentation after the game, which further complicates the required security around the American Commander-in-Chief.
‘When you do the threat and risk assessment, you cover anything that could go wrong: if they were at a mass gathering, what if the stage collapsed?’ Nigel Thomas, a former British Special Air Service (SAS) soldier and founder of security training firm, Blue Mountain Group, told The Athletic.
‘We will have a standard operating procedure for that, for example. You need to be prepared for it, and that takes communication with stadium security and emergency services.’
Despite the security risk, Trump didn’t shy away from the limelight when he bizarrely inserted himself into Chelsea’s celebrations.
