‘Caught By Surprise’ – Why Were USMNT, Juventus Stars with Trump at the White House? | OneFootball

Juventus used to have an oval-shaped logo, but aside from that, there aren’t many reasons to associate the famed Italian club with the Oval Office of the President of the United States.

That is, until Wednesday, when a selection of players from the Serie A side joined President Donald Trump at the White House, ahead of its opening FIFA Club World Cup match against Al Ain at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

The Juventus delegation included U.S. men’s national team midfielders Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah, as well as several others, including owner John Elkann, as they presented Trump with a Juventus kit emblazoned with 47, in honor of him being the 47th American President.

Alongside them were coach Igor Tudor, as well as Manuel Locatelli, Federico Gatti, Teun Koopmeiners, Dusan Vlahovic, and retired Juventus and LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini, all flanked by CEO Maurizio Scanavino, general manager Damien Comolli, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

While Juventus, FIFA, and the White House have not explained why the event occurred, sports teams visiting the President is not uncommon, with most American championship-winning teams doing so. Trump also has a close relationship with Infantino.

Although Elkaan, who is the chairperson at Exor, which has majority stakes in Juventus and Ferrari, has expressed concerns about Trump’s tariff policies on auto imports, he earned praise from the President, who called him “a fantastic business person, a man who has done a fantastic job in the automobile industry.

What Happened Juventus’ Meeting with Trump?

Trump spoke on several non-soccer topics at the event with Juventus. / Getty Images

Through the showcase and media opportunity, Trump discussed several topics, including transgender participation in sports, the war in the Middle East and recent escalations between Israel and Iran, the current Club World Cup and the next FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Early in the meeting, he turned to the Juventus players, saying, “Could a woman make your team, fellas?” In response, he received shrugs and smiles from the squad, including Weah and McKennie, before Comolli mentioned Juventus’ strong women’s team, which recently won Serie A Femminile.

“But they should be playing with women,” Trump added to the statement, having recently signed an executive order to keep men and transgender women out of women’s sports.

Trump also suggested that the Juventus vs. Al Ain match was sold out before the official attendance was announced as 18,161, below Audi Field’s 20,000 capacity.

Weah Speaks Out

After Juventus beat Al Ain 5-0, Weah spoke to reporters and suggested that being a part of the press conference came as a surprise to him, and that the USMNT international had no choice but to attend.

“It was all a surprise to me, honestly — they told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,” he told The Athletic, adding it was the first time he had been to the White House.

“I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it’s kind of like, I just want to play football, man...I guess it was a cool experience being in the White House, but I’m not one for the politics, so it wasn’t that exciting.

Tudor also addressed the meeting, saying “We were invited to the White House, and that’s not something you do every day. It was a pleasure.”

Juventus continue with the Club World Cup against Morocco’s Wydad AC on Sunday, after the African club lost 2–0 to England’s Manchester City in its opening match.