More people are paying attention to Donald Trump‘s recent high-profile appearance because of what he did after the trophy was handed over than because of the winner. After Chelsea crushed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, Trump presented them with the FIFA Club World Cup trophy.
That said, instead of leaving the platform as planned, the 79-year-old president lingered awkwardly in the center of the stage, causing players to look stumped and FIFA President Gianni Infantino to tug him evidently.
Reece James, Chelsea’s captain, told the media that President Donald Trump was told to get off the stage following the handover, but he preferred not to. James giggled, but his laughter failed to mask his awkwardness.
“I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”
As per Irish Star, Cole Palmer, a midfielder, was blunter: “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.”
It turns out that the key phrase of the night was confusion, and not just for Chelsea’s team.
Was This Another Cognitive Slip For Donald Trump?
Online comments were fast and harsh after a clip of Donald Trump clapping, not accepting to move, and standing next to the team as they celebrated went viral. Many equated the scenario to watching a senior citizen with dementia at a family get-together, not exactly able to grasp what they were even doing, but determined to be involved in some way.
One tweet that went viral said, “Trump looked like the old uncle with dementia that had been dragged to a family gathering.” Others piled on: “The FIFA president dragged that old piece of s— to the back,” “unable to follow simple instructions,” and “he didn’t know what was happening.” Cruel? Absolutely. But it’s becoming a more popular opinion, we see.
Critics and some behavioral specialists have long criticized Trump for his long list of cognitive blunders.
Donald Trump’s errors of judgment have been escalating, including comparing Nancy Pelosi to Nikki Haley and complimenting Joan Rivers for supporting him even though she passed away in 2014.
Trump: Joan Rivers voted for me
(Joan Rivers died in 2014) pic.twitter.com/bck1ES8hQu
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) June 20, 2024
And Sunday’s on-stage freeze only feeds the blazing fire.
Over 80% of those studied in an August 2024 Morning Consult survey said they were “unsure he’d be up for serving a full second term.” According to a July 2024 Marquette poll, 57% of voters thought Trump was just “too old” for the position of president. According to neurologists studied by the Washington Post in July 2024, there may currently be a greater genetic risk of dementia because of his father, Fred Trump Sr., who was previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
The post-assassination aspect comes next.
It was one year ago today (July 13, 2024) that Donald Trump escaped an assassination attempt. pic.twitter.com/877SpxXd3I
— History Calendar (@historycalendar) July 13, 2025
Last year, psychologist Simon McCarthy-Jones warned that Donald Trump might be dealing with “trauma from his near-death experience,” which points out his obsessive revisiting of footage where he was shot at during a rally.
The picture gets darker (and more concerning) when you connect that with his increasingly rambling rally talks, his refusal to disclose new medical information, and the apparent wounds on his hands.
Chelsea’s Win and Trump’s ‘Where Am I?’ Moment
The story should have been about Chelsea’s victory. Instead, President Trump’s inability to step off the stage, which some have pointed out is an analogy for his current political presence as well, took over.
Donald Trump’s supporters will refer to it as “Trump being Trump” or media overstepping. However, as larger-scale events like these build up, concerns about his mental well-being grow into national issues as opposed to partisan pet peeves.
Donald Trump stayed in Chelsea’s team picture after their Club World Cup win 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/pusNdYJLcA
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) July 13, 2025
Even though Donald Trump was successful in previous cognitive assessments (the White House reports that he passed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in April 2025), his progressively erratic behavior begs the question: Can one test properly negate what we are all seeing in real time?
