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MLS Lionel Messi presents President Trump with a pink soccer ball during Inter Miami's visit to the White House Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty Images WASHINGTON — As the entire Inter Miami team stood on a set of bleachers behind a podium with the U. S. presidential seal and a display with the MLS Cup, a sparkling pink soccer ball emblazoned with President Donald Trump’s signature, and a pink Inter Miami jersey with the No. 47, the club’s biggest star was conspicuously missing. Advertisement Lionel Messi has famously avoided moments that collide with politics and could be perceived as endorsements. But as the attendees in the East Room of the White House grew silent and then stood up out of their chairs, a voice announced the arrival of the guests of honor and their host. “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, accompanied by Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami CF, and Lionel Messi. ” As “Hail to the Chief” played, Trump walked in with Mas just over his right shoulder and Messi a step behind on his left. Inter Miami was there for a ceremony to honor its 2025 MLS Cup victory, the club’s first championship. A tradition for many championship teams in the United States, White House visits are now seen as political flashpoints in an increasingly divided country. Some teams and players choose to opt out. That Messi did not — and that he took center stage — was notable because, whether he intended it or not, his presence could be perceived as an endorsement of the president. He followed his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, by being a guest at the White House. Ronaldo visited in November 2025, along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Trump referenced  “a gentleman named Ronaldo” during the Miami event as he talked about his son Barron’s soccer fandom. But make no mistake: there would be no avoiding politics. Just as soon as Messi took his pronounced place next to the podium, Trump opened the ceremony by speaking for several minutes about the U. S. ’s war in Iran. There was a surreal feeling to it, with the world’s most famous athlete standing next to Trump as the president meandered between political talk, discussion about U. S. military action and even American soccer history. Members of Trump’s cabinet — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — were in attendance, as was U. S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Advertisement MLS commissioner Don Garber and Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Federal Task Force for the FIFA World Cup 2026, sat off stage. Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez was also there, although Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham was not, reportedly in Europe for his wife Victoria’s fashion show. Inter Miami and Messi will, however, have exited the event feeling as though they got what they intended out of it: a celebration of their championship on a global stage. Trump, too, will see the evening as a win. Messi and his team undoubtedly will receive criticism by a large sector of fans for appearing next to Trump, especially by vocal left-leaning supporters groups across the league. But Miami and Messi — who did not speak during the event and whose fluency (or lack thereof) in English has been debated — avoided some of the more direct awkward moments that have occurred when the president has put guests on the spot about thorny political issues. That was the case last summer when Serie A side Juventus visited the White House during the Club World Cup. U. S. internationals Tim Weah and Weston Mc Kennie were in attendance, and at one point Trump began discussing transgender athletes and asked the players if a woman could make their team. Messi’s biggest interaction was far less consequential, by comparison, with Trump asking if Messi was better than Brazilian legend Pelé. Still, like in most events at the White House, there was no way the ceremony could or would “stick to sports. ” Trump, with Messi and other Inter Miami players standing behind him, began his speech with an update on Iran. “Their navy is gone, 24 ships in three days, that’s a lot of ships, ” the president said at one point, as Messi tucked his chin into his chest and watched from just over Trump’s right shoulder, occasionally glancing around the room or at his feet. Messi smiled slightly when Trump joked, after listing out the U. S. ’s military successes, that, “other than that (Iran is) doing quite well. ” Advertisement After spending six minutes on Iran, Trump pivoted to Cuba. He praised Rubio for the work he’s done and then pointed at Mas, whose late father, Jorge Mas Canosa, was a powerful political broker fighting against Fidel Castro’s regime with the Cuban American National Foundation, an influential lobbying firm, of which the Inter Miami owner is now chairman. “What’s happening with Cuba is amazing and we want to fix this one first, but that will be just a question of time before you and a lot of unbelievable people are going to be going back to Cuba, ” Trump said, looking back at Mas, who smiled. Political discourse continued, with Trump discussing the operation in Venezuela in which the U. S. captured Nicolás Maduro, before, more than eight minutes into his speech, pivoting to the express purpose of the event: honoring Inter Miami. “Let’s get to the reason that we are here, and it’s a beautiful reason because we are honoring truly talented people, ” Trump said. “Today we are thrilled to host the 2025 MLS Cup champions Inter Miami. Great job. ” Then he turned and shook Messi’s hand — thrusting the Argentinian star again into a spotlight moment with the American president. Messi missed a ceremony in which President Joe Biden honored him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, in January 2025, due to “scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. Messi’s communication team released a statement that said he “appreciated the gesture and noted he hopes to have the opportunity to meet Biden in the near future. ” Trump alluded to that absence when he turned to Messi. “It’s my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before: Welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi, ” Trump said. He then joked that his son, Barron, told him excitedly that Messi was coming and that Trump didn’t know. “I’ve got a lot of things going on, ” he said, prompting laughter from Messi and the rest of the room. Trump mentioned that Messi met Barron earlier in the visit. Advertisement At one point, Trump told a story about watching Pelé with the NASL’s New York Cosmos in the 1970s and then turned and asked the team, “Who’s better? Him or Pelé? ” The team responded by signaling that it was Messi. “I agree, ” Trump said. The president then rattled off highlights from Inter Miami’s season and its results in the Club World Cup, highlighting Luis Suárez’s performance there and Messi’s free kick against Porto. He also noted forward Tadeo Allende’s playoff scoring streak and Argentine star Rodrigo De Paul’s goal in the MLS Cup final. Trump also commented several times on how “good looking” the team was and jokingly asked if they had any “bad-looking players. ” “We could have a lot of fun with these guys, ” he said. “You can imagine when they win how they celebrate. ” Trump spoke for about 25 minutes in total before handing the stage to Mas, who mentioned his parents’ journey from Cuba and how that influenced the club’s “Freedom to Dream” motto. He then thanked Trump for “sharing this championship with us. ” Mas, Messi and Miami coach Javier Mascherano then presented Trump with the gifts, which included the ball, jersey and an engraved watch. Mas took a photo with Trump holding the No. 47 jersey, while Messi smiled and presented Trump with the ball. That final gesture, as well as Messi standing beside Trump during the ceremony, will undoubtedly stick with Messi. It will stand out, though, because Messi had been so diligent about avoiding similar photo opportunities throughout his career. Inter Miami, in the area to play D. C. United on Saturday at the Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, will feel that its captain fulfilled another important obligation for the club that he has transformed into a global brand, one now recognized and projected around the world. Others may see Messi standing behind Trump, silently smiling, as a letdown by an athlete who had otherwise avoided being used as a political tool. Trump invited the team and Messi to the Oval Office, where he said he had a gift for the two-time reigning MLS MVP. The team first stayed for a few photos with members of the Cabinet, though, before filing out of the room, and with that ending a very public and very surreal affair. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Paul Tenorio is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer. He has previously written for the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, Four Four Two, ESPN and MLSsoccer. com. Follow Paul on Twitter @Paul Tenorio