The official White House account on X reacted this Tuesday to the viral gesture of Spanish striker Ferran Torres, who wore a red cap with the slogan “Make Spain Great Again” during the crowded celebration parade in Madrid for the football world title.
The White House's response came through a retweet of Fox News' coverage of Torres' cap, accompanied by a brief yet direct message: "Everyone wants to join the movement."
The post has amassed over 2.6 million views, 32,000 likes, and more than 1,300 comments by the time this note was published.
The goal, the cap, and virality
Torres was the undisputed hero of the final of the 2026 World Cup, held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he scored the decisive goal against Argentina in extra time, giving Spain its second World Cup, 16 years after South Africa 2010.
Two days later, during the celebration in the streets of Madrid before a crowd that the Government Delegation estimated at two million people, the FC Barcelona forward appeared without a shirt, wearing a red cap that read “Make Spain Great Again”, a direct adaptation of the slogan “Make America Great Again” popularized by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.
Torres himself shared a first-person video from his Instagram account during the parade, with the cap prominently visible, which sparked its spread on social media.
Fox News picked it up with the headline: "Ferran Torres wears 'Make Spain Great Again' cap in the World Cup parade."
Without explanations or retraction
The Valencian footballer did not provide any public explanation regarding the intention behind the gesture, nor did he apologize to those who interpreted it as a political nod to Trumpism.
Far from it, she published more photos from the parade where the cap remained visible, which several Anglo-Saxon media outlets described as a reaffirmation in response to the criticism.
The gesture's interpretation sparked debate: some media outlets interpreted it as a joke or an ironic nod to the tournament's context, while others viewed it as a genuine endorsement of the movement. Torres did not clarify his stance.
Regarding his performance in the final, the forward did speak: "I believe that you always have to keep believing, and in the end, everything arrives," he declared, as reported by the newspaper Sport.
Trump, omnipresent in the World Cup
The episode is set against the strong presence of Trump throughout the tournament.
The U.S. president personally attended the final, arriving on the presidential helicopter Marine One and participating in the presentation of the World Cup to the Spanish team alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino. From the VIP box, he greeted King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
After the tournament, Trump described it as “the safest and most spectacular World Cup in history, by a wide margin” and estimated its economic impact to be around 20 billion dollars for the United States.
The Spanish celebration also produced another viral moment with Trump-like overtones: midfielder Mikel Merino imitated the characteristic dance of the U.S. president during the trophy presentation ceremony, with Trump just a few meters away, in a video that also went viral around the world.
A slogan with roots in Spain
The slogan «Make Spain Great Again» is not new in the Iberian nation.
The far-right party Vox has adopted since 2018 the phrase "Make Spain Great Again" as a direct copy of Trump's slogan, which already sparked an intense political debate about the influence of Trumpism on the Spanish right.
That it is now the key scorer of the national team who wears it on his cap during the largest celebration in recent years adds a layer of controversy that the White House has not hesitated to capitalize on.
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