Lip reader figures out what Donald Trump said to each Spain and Argentina player at the World Cup final.
A professional lip reader says that US President Donald Trump told each player the same thing when giving out World Cup medals.
At MetLife Stadium, Spain kept their amazing streak going—38 games unbeaten, the longest ever in international soccer—when Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to beat Argentina.
After the game on Sunday, Trump joined the medal ceremony with Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The 80-year-old shook hands with every player, said a few words, and then gave them their medal or tapped their chest.
So, what did he say? According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Trump told each player, “You are a champ” and “Amazing player.”
Almost every player shook Trump’s hand, but Argentina’s defender Cristian Romero didn’t. Romero, who played in the final but left in the 70th minute because of an injury, shook hands with Infantino and Sheinbaum but walked right past Trump without greeting him.
Spain’s forward Borja Iglesias also seemed hesitant. He touched Trump’s hand but didn’t look at him. Iglesias has openly criticized Trump before for not standing up for basic values.
“There’s a protocol and politeness that I should follow even if my gut says otherwise,” Iglesias said before the game. “I respect people who fight for progress and fundamental values, and I think Trump struggles with that.”
He also said, “I don’t want trouble. I hope to greet him quickly so I can forget about it. This isn’t the time for drama. People already know what I think. I wish I could do more, but I don’t have that much power.”
Before the match, Iglesias posted on Instagram a photo of the MetLife Stadium seating plan with ticket prices and captioned it “Una Verguenza,” which means “A disgrace.”