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Published 10:53 20 Jul 2026 GMT
A moment during Donald Trump's World Cup trophy presentation has highlighted an apparent contradiction in the official height listed by his White House doctor.
The 80-year-old president was already making headlines after staying on stage during Spain's celebrations, but another moment from the trophy presentation has sparked questions about his reported height.
As Trump congratulated Spain captain and Golden Ball winner Rodri following La Roja's victory over Argentina, viewers noticed something that didn't appear to add up.
A clip shared by the White House's own Rapid Response account on X showed Trump shaking hands with the Spanish midfielder during the post-match presentation.
While the pair are both officially listed as standing 6-foot-3, Rodri appeared noticeably taller than the president.
According to ESPN, Rodri measures 6-foot-3, the same height recorded for Trump during his most recent medical examination by White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella last year.
If both men are indeed the same height, many online questioned why the athlete appeared several inches taller during the ceremony.
"Rodri is 6'3. How tall is President Trump again???" one person asked, while another said: "Seeing Rodri, 6ft 3, towering above Trump - also somehow listed as being 6ft 3 - always entertains. A hilariously insecure man."
A third added: "Tell me again how Trump is supposed to be 6'3" when that's how tall Rodri is..."
The World Cup ceremony is not the first time Trump's listed height has come under scrutiny.
Last month, he appeared alongside Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune during a closed-door meeting with GOP senators on Capitol Hill, The Daily Beast reported.
Although Thune is reportedly just one inch taller at 6-foot-4, he appeared to tower over Trump in pictures from the event.
Questions were also raised during Prince William's state visit to the United States in September.
Both men are officially listed at 6-foot-3, yet the Prince of Wales appeared noticeably taller while standing beside the president.
Trump was joined on stage by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as Spain celebrated its 1-0 victory over Argentina.
According to professional lip reader Nicola Hickling, who spoke to the Express via LipReader Ltd, he greeted each Spanish player with the same words.
"You are a champ," he reportedly told every player before adding: "Amazing player."
He also shook hands with Argentina's squad, although defenders Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero reportedly ignored his attempts at a handshake as they walked past.
The ceremony became awkward after Trump remained on stage while the Spanish players prepared for their trophy lift.
Television cameras showed Infantino appearing to encourage the president to move aside, but he stayed in place as Rodri hoisted the trophy alongside his celebrating teammates before eventually stepping away.
It wasn't the first time Trump had found himself at the center of a trophy celebration.
During last year's Club World Cup final, he also remained on stage while Chelsea lifted the trophy.
On that occasion, he even briefly held onto the trophy himself before it was handed over to the winners.
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Published 16:22 14 Apr 2026 GMT
Donald Trump welcomed the Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to the White House on Monday, and a small but noticeable detail caught attention when he and Melania Trump posed for obligatory photos with the royal couple.
Over-inflating one’s size is a common theme amongst men, and not just in sensitive areas, with the masculine urge to lie about height often proving irresistible to many guys, and that appears to extend to the U.S. President, who may have been caught short… quite literally.
In what seemed like a standard photo moment, Trump appeared to stand about a foot in front of the others. This positioning raised questions about whether his officially stated height of “6’3”” is still accurate, as he looked considerably shorter than King Willem, who is believed to be between 6’2” to 6’3”.
Over the years, both during his presidency and on the campaign trail, Trump has consistently claimed he is “6 foot 3 inches” tall.
As recently as last April, a White House medical report listed his height as “75 inches,” which equals “6’3”.” If correct, he would be roughly the same height as King Willem-Alexander. However, the photo from Monday certainly suggests otherwise, with Trump appearing two to three inches shorter than the Dutch monarch.
To make the difference less obvious, he appeared to position himself about 12 inches (or a foot) ahead of the King, Queen, and Melania during the photo.
There are several possible reasons for shrinking, especially for someone of Trump’s age, as he turns 80 later this year. Many of these changes are linked to aging and can start as early as 40, with people losing about “0.5 inches a decade.”
Anything from spinal disc degeneration, osteoporosis and bone density loss, to muscle loss, and flattening foot arches are all identified as possible causes.
While you can’t simply defy the aging process, some of its effects can be managed. Height loss linked to posture, muscle decline, or spinal compression can be partially improved through regular exercise, especially weight-bearing and resistance training, along with posture work. Proper nutrition, including enough protein, calcium, and vitamin D, also plays an important role in maintaining bone strength.
Although some height reduction is normal, experts at the Cleveland Clinic note that losing “2–4 inches” is not considered typical and may indicate an underlying issue.
Published 09:38 20 Jul 2026 GMT
After Argentina’s devastating defeat in the World Cup final, two players were spotted snubbing the US President during the medal ceremony.
Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were spotted not-so-subtly skipping a handshake with Donald Trump before shaking the hands of the two other hosting heads of state, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In protest of either the result or the widely documented alleged corruption that has plagued the competition, Manchester United centre-back Martinez decided not to shake hands with either FIFA boss Gianni Infantino or Trump during Argentina’s silver medal ceremony.
Unsurprisingly, Infantino also promised Trump the job of handing the victorious Spain captain Rodri the gold trophy.
While the champions, who won 1-0 in extra time, were celebrating their second World Cup win, some Argentina players pounced on their competition and viciously attacked them in anger.
Moments after the final whistle, the losing team’s Leandro Paredes launched himself at Spain’s Gavi. Then, Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at one of the Spain subs running on to join in with his team-mates’ celebrations.
Tensions were particularly high as the game was set to be legendary soccer player Lionel Messi’s last appearance for his country in an international competition, so he was hoping to go out with a bang.
The 39-year-old was even seen in tears looking at the crowd after the final whistle was blown. However, it was the team’s head coach who appeared the most emotional, even cutting a press conference short as he could not hold back the tears.
Lionel Scaloni, who guided the team to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, questioned his future as the team’s most important player.
He said: “I feel the need to think because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do something as big as this.
“We would have to talk about it. My place is everyone’s dream place. We tried until the very last moment to give our all as a coaching staff, the players too, and I think it’s only fair to consider it. This place is wonderful.
“I never imagined I’d be here. To move forward, a lot of things are needed. Above all, we need to reset, to form a group like this, which is unlikely to ever be formed again. It breaks my heart. I’m sorry.”
Published 10:57 25 Jun 2025 GMT
Published 17:13 06 Nov 2024 GMT
Published 15:32 08 Feb 2025 GMT
The Oval Office has undergone some noticeable changes since Donald Trump returned to the White House, but one particular addition has left people scratching their heads.
No, it’s not the infamous Diet Coke button (which, yes, he reportedly had reinstated), nor is it the alleged removal of Joe Biden’s presidential portraits.
Instead, eagle-eyed viewers spotted something surprising sitting behind Trump’s desk during a recent televised speech: what appears to be the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Given Argentina’s triumph in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, many were left wondering why the most coveted prize in international football was now sitting in Donald Trump’s office. One X (formerly Twitter) user summed up the internet’s confusion, asking: “Why has Donald Trump got the World Cup?”
And the confused tweets continued.
"Trump parading the World Cup trophy that America has never won and will never win is funny to me," wrote one person, and another jokingly asked: When did Trump win the FIFA World Cup?"
While it might seem bizarre, there is an explanation.
The trophy represents the USA’s role as co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico.
As part of the tournament, Trump himself is set to present the real trophy to the winners after the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026.
Despite Trump’s cozy relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the trophy in the Oval Office is just a replica, The Independent reports.
FIFA confirmed that the actual World Cup trophy remains under official control and is not in Trump’s personal possession.
This isn’t the first time a replica World Cup trophy has made an appearance in the White House. A similar version was seen in the Oval Office back in 2018 during Trump’s first term — though this latest one appears to be a different version.
Infantino, who publicly congratulated Trump on his re-election, has maintained a strong friendship with the U.S. president.
Following Trump’s recent inauguration, the FIFA boss even attended events in Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago.
“So I am going to be your President for the Olympics and for the (FIFA) World Cup,” Trump said recently. “So Gianni, thank you for the (2026 FIFA) World Cup, and everybody, thank you for the (2028) Olympics, we are going to have a great time.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the second time the United States has hosted the tournament, the first being in 1994, when Brazil lifted the trophy.
However, this time, the U.S. will take on a much bigger role, hosting most of the tournament’s 104 matches, including games in 11 of the 16 host cities.
With Trump set to play a major role in the global spectacle, it looks like he’s already getting comfortable with the idea — replica trophy and all.
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