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Iconic Italian soccer club Juventus visited the White House on Wednesday afternoon and the resulting scenes were akin to something out of a depressing governmental version of The Twilight Zone. While a group of Juventus players stood uncomfortably stone-faced behind him, Donald Trump began discussing massively heavy political topics just as the transgender community and Iran.
Juventus are in the United States for the Club World Cup, opening their group stage play with a 5-0 win over Al Ain on Wednesday, June 18. Their next match will be on Sunday, June 22 against Wydad AC.
Prior to the game, a group of Juventus players — including Americans Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah — visited the White House for a photo-op that immediately turned into an awkwardly viral moment courtesy of Donald Trump’s topics of conversation.
Trump asks the Juventus players standing behind him if women could make their team and tries to bait them into endorsing his transphobia pic.twitter.com/cJymDAmcSd
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2025
“It was all surprise to me, honestly, they told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,” American forward Tim Weah said. “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.”
McKennie and Weah were also joined by Dusan Vlahovic, Manuel Locatelli, Teun Koopmeiners, Federico Gatti, head coach Igor Tudor, club owner John Elkann, chief executive Maurizio Scanavino, general manager Damien Comolli and director of football strategy Giorgio Chiellini.
He just can’t help himself 😂🤣😂🤣😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/wzqPD7nG1C
— Zah (@DaMidgetZimbo) June 18, 2025
Trump is talking about bombing Iran with the Juventus squad standing in the background. pic.twitter.com/CoaUX4O4hI
— hash (@hashim0307) June 18, 2025
“Him saying all this with Juventus behind him is unreal,” one response said.
“Trump trying to bait Juventus’s Locatelli, Vlahovic, McKennie, Chiellini on transgender athletes is the most deranged sentence Ive written in my life,” added a soccer journalist.
The 2026 World Cup in the United States next summer is shaping up to go just swimmingly, for sure.