Juventus FC meets Donald Trump: discussion shifts to Trans rights and the Iran-Israel conflict
Juventus FC’s meeting with Donald Trump took an unexpected turn, as the discussion moved from the Club World Cup to politics
Donald Trump met with Juventus FC earlier on Thursday 19, 2025 at the White House before their debut at FIFA's Club World Cup. What seemed to be a mere formality turned into an awkward moment, as the U.S. President Donald Trump ended up turning the conversation to politics. The president talking about trans rights in sports and, the Israeli-Iranian conflict starred one of the most viral moments from the tourney.
A small delegation of 6 players, alongside the American owner, Jhon Elkann, and some executives and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, attended the meeting.
Trump receives a Juventus FC jersey
The soccer team gifted President Donald Trump a jersey with the number #47, which is a reference to his place on the country's presidential list.
Donald Trump receives a Juventus FC jersey. Photo: @WhiteHouse/X
While many players showed discomfort during the meeting, Donald Trump still answered some questions from the press regarding the Israeli-Iranian conflict, stating that he had not made a decision yet; and directly asked the players if they believed a woman could play in the team.
Timothy Weah describes the meeting with Trump: "A bit weird"
After a controversial question regarding trans rights, the team remained silent. However, the team's general manager, Damien Comolli, answered: "We have a very good women’s team." To which Trump replied, "but they should be playing with women, right?"
"See, they're very diplomatic," Trump says.
After the meeting, Timothy Weah described the meeting as "a bit weird". According to him, the meeting was a surprise. "They told us we had to go, and I did not have any other choice. It was a bit weird when he started talking politics". "I just want to play soccer," he said.
