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
James Jenkins is a celebrated Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose work has reshaped the way readers think about social justice and human rights in America. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, James grew up in a community that instilled in him both resilience and a strong sense of responsibility toward others. After studying political science and creative writing at Howard University, he worked as a journalist covering civil rights issues before dedicating himself fully to fiction. His novels are known for their sharp, empathetic portraits of marginalized communities and for weaving personal stories with broader political realities. Jenkins’s breakout novel, Shadows of Freedom, won national acclaim for its unflinching look at systemic inequality, while his more recent works explore themes of identity, resilience, and the fight for dignity in the face of oppression. Beyond his novels, James is an active public speaker, lecturing at universities and participating in nonprofit initiatives that support literacy and community empowerment. He believes that storytelling is a way to preserve history and inspire change. When not writing, James enjoys jazz music, mentoring young writers, and traveling with his family to explore cultures and stories around the world.
