NOTE: VIDEO AT THE END OF ARTICLE
Washington, D.C. — What was supposed to be a routine White House visit by the Juventus football team ahead of the Club World Cup has turned into a viral controversy after President Donald Trump made a series of awkward and politically charged remarks.
The Serie A giants were in Washington to kick off their tournament with a dominant 5–0 win over Al Ain. But before the match, several team members, including U.S. internationals Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie, were invited to meet with the President in the Oval Office.
During the brief meeting, Trump veered off script, reportedly asking players whether a woman could make their team — a loaded question tied to his administration’s policies restricting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The room reportedly fell silent.
“It was a surprise, honestly,” said Weah following the win. “They told us we had to go. When he started talking about Iran and transgender athletes… I just want to play football, man.”
According to eyewitnesses, Trump continued pressing the issue, even turning to the club’s general manager, who attempted to defuse the moment by praising the club’s successful women’s team. Trump persisted, saying, “But they should be playing with women,” drawing further discomfort from the squad.
The reaction online was swift. Clips of the meeting circulated on social media, with many users calling the exchange “painful,” “awkward,” and “tone-deaf.” One X user wrote, “It’s a problem when athletes handle diplomacy better than a President.”
The controversy is also resurfacing past comments made by McKennie, who publicly denounced Trump in 2020. At the time, he called the President “ignorant” and “not fit for leadership.”
Though neither Juventus nor the White House has released an official statement, the incident adds to a growing list of politically fraught moments during Trump’s second term. For players who came to compete, it was an unexpected detour into culture war territory.
Whether this incident impacts the team’s focus on the field remains to be seen, but the fallout is already being felt far beyond the pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9jKFpRokJ4
