A lip reader has revealed what Chelsea star Cole Palmer said to teammate Reece James as the team stood behind President Donald Trump during their Club World Cup trophy presentation.
Confusion swept the stage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday night when Trump unexpectedly remained with the Chelsea squad as they celebrated their 3–0 victory over Paris Saint Germain.
The 79-year-old President had just presented the trophy to captain Reece James, but instead of stepping aside to join FIFA President Gianni Infantino, he stayed in the spotlight with the players.
Television footage showed Palmer, 23, appearing puzzled by Trump’s presence, reportedly asking, “What is he doing?” as the celebrations were about to begin.
Lip reader Jeremy Freeman told The Mirror that Palmer could be seen saying: “No, no, just wait, wait… wait… wait,” while Trump stood in front of him.
Moments later, James looked to the side of the stage and asked: “I can lift?” before raising the trophy to officially kick off the celebrations.
Speaking after the match, Palmer admitted he hadn’t expected Trump to be on stage for the trophy lift.
“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. I was a bit confused, yes,” he told reporters.
James, 25, suggested the President may have been unsure of what he was supposed to do.
“To be honest, it was quite loud. I couldn’t hear too much,” James said. “He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment.”
Fellow defender Levi Colwill, 22, added that Trump was originally expected to leave the stage. “They told me he was going to present the trophy and then exit, but he wanted to stay,” Colwill said.
Trump did eventually step aside and joined Infantino near the back of the stage as Chelsea players celebrated. Speaking to broadcaster DAZN, Trump praised the sport’s rise in the U.S., saying: “It’s a great sport. It’s growing fast. This was a bit of an upset we’re watching today.”
The U.S., along with Canada and Mexico, is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Trump acknowledged the global impact of the tournament.
“It’s a big thing, Gianni’s a friend of mine. FIFA’s done fantastically well,” he said.
Chelsea’s dominant 3–0 win, powered by two goals from Palmer and a third from Joao Pedro, secured them the Club World Cup title, and reportedly earned the club a windfall of £84.7 million.