On Sunday afternoon, United States President Donald Trump awarded the Spain players their medals and the iconic FIFA World Cup trophy following their 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final, but it might have been a bit awkward after what Trump had to say about their country less than two weeks prior.
During a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump had some strong words for Spain as he expressed his displeasure with the country, calling the country “hopeless” and “bad people” as he threatened to “cut off all trade” following a dispute about NATO.
‘Bad People’
On Sunday, Trump was seen handing the Spanish players their medals and their World Cup trophy in celebration of the country’s second-ever World Cup championship. It was a rather jarring juxtaposition to just days before, when Trump called the country “a wasted cause” and “bad people.”
Trump’s comments came on July 8 during a news conference alongside Rutte as Trump blasted Spain for not contributing enough to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I’d like to cut it off,” Trump said just days ago. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please. Including visits. We don’t want anything to do.”
“We don’t have to trade with them,” he added. “I don’t want to do any more trade with them. Make it immediately. Don’t even talk to them. They’re hopeless. Bad people.”
Trump Hands Spain the Trophy
While Trump might not want to have “anything to do with Spain,” as he suggested, that wasn’t really an option on Sunday.
Last month, it was announced that Trump would be tasked with awarding the winning team the trophy following the World Cup final. At the time, there was no way to know which team that would be.
With the 1-0 win over Argentina on Sunday, it turned out to be Spain, which meant that just days after calling the country “a wasted cause” and “bad people,” he had to award their soccer team a trophy in front of a massive international audience.
🚨WORLD WIDE HUMILIATION:
Trump hands the World Cup trophy to Spain, then refuses to get off stage, despite Gianni Infantino trying to direct him off of it.
This might be the most embarrassing thing I have ever seen. pic.twitter.com/P4vbFg78Xc
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) July 19, 2026
Obviously, Trump’s beef was more with the country’s leadership rather than its soccer players. Still, it was a rather awkward position for Trump given how outspoken he was against Spain just days before.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.