Chelsea fans say Reece James made four-word jibe at Trump before trophy lift

Chelsea were the surprise winners of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday (July 13), seeing off favourites Paris Saint-Germain in a resounding 3-0 win. Cole Palmer scored twice and provided the assist for new signing, Joao Pedro - all in the first half, to secure the trophy and a cool £97 million in prize money.

Donald Trump was on hand to present captain Reece James and his teammates with the trophy afterwards as Enzo Maresca's men basked in their glory in the scorching New Jersey heat. Fans of the Blues believed the US President appeared to outstay his welcome on stage, however, as James was seen in a video seemingly offering him some words of advice.

A clip shared to X by the account, Footy Humour, saw James preparing to lift the trophy next to an applauding Trump as he appeared to mouth: "You need to leave."

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Trump remained on stage, however, prompting others to point out the 79-year old's error. "Reece James telling Donald Trump 'you need to leave' and Trump just standing there during the trophy lift is insane," Footy Humour penned in a caption.

Writing in response, one person quipped: "He thinks the party is for him."

A second joked: "Trump don’t like to be told what to do! He was like F it am celebrating with ya’ll!"

A third added: "Love United but now a huge Reece James fan!"

Meanwhile a fourth said: "Reece James has no idea how stubborn and recalcitrant that old man is. He should be happy Trump didn’t snatch the trophy from him!"

Later in the evening, James was quizzed over the incident during an interview with Sky Sports. "Before, they told me he was going to present the trophy and exit the stage, and I thought he was going to exit the stage," James said. "But he wanted to stay!"

Other X users, meanwhile, shared an alternative theory on what the England defender had said. "He just asked him if he can lift the trophy while he is in the group," one person claimed.

Another slammed: "He didn’t say that, you haters!" A third individual commented: "He clearly asks 'can I lift it?'"

And a fourth noted: "Looks like he asks, 'can I lift it', then Sanchez tells him to do it."

James' teammate, Palmer, who was seen looking frustrated during the celebrations, later said of Trump: "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."

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