Juventus forward Timothy Weah has revealed that he and his teammates were compelled to attend what he described as a “weird” meeting with Donald Trump at the White House during the Club World Cup in the United States.
The Serie A side are currently on U.S. soil for the tournament, having kicked off their campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Al Ain. But it was an unexpected political detour before the match that caught headlines.
Juventus players and staff were brought to the Oval Office for a media-covered visit with the former U.S. president. The encounter quickly turned awkward, with Trump veering into controversial topics, including a pointed question to the players about whether a woman could play on their team.
Caught off-guard, USA international Weston McKennie glanced at Weah, visibly unsure how to respond before teammate Manuel Locatelli broke the silence by answering, “Yeah.”
Weah, the son of former Ballon d’Or winner and ex-Liberian president George Weah, later admitted that the meeting was sprung on the squad without warning.
“It was all a surprise to me, honestly — they told us we had to go and I had no choice but to show up,” Weah said after the Al Ain match. “It was a bit weird. When he started talking about politics with Iran and everything, it’s kind of like, I just want to play football, man.”
The awkward summit lasted around 16 minutes and included discussions on political issues such as Iran and gender in sport. Trump notably brought up his controversial “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order signed earlier in 2025, which altered eligibility rules for female sports categories in U.S. college athletics.
McKennie, who has previously been critical of Trump, reaffirmed his stance during protests in 2020, saying at the time, “I don’t think Trump is the right one for the job… I don’t support him a bit. In my eyes, you can call him racist.”
Photos from the meeting showed Juventus players posing stiffly behind Trump’s desk, many appearing uncomfortable with the setting and subject matter. The visit, far from the team’s footballing objectives, created a moment of unease that contrasted sharply with their confident performance on the pitch.
While Juventus continued their pursuit of Club World Cup success, the White House moment served as an unexpected political sideshow that several players, especially their U.S. representatives, would have rather avoided.