President Trump welcomed members of the Juventus soccer team to the White House on Wednesday, where he inquired about their perspectives on transgender athletes in women’s sports and discussed the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran.
The visit occurred before the Italian team’s Club World Cup opener against Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates, which they won decisively 5-0. The tournament is being held in the United States, with a match scheduled for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
While speaking to reporters about transgender athletes, Trump asked the players directly, “Could a woman make your team, fellas?” The Juventus players, including Americans Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie, responded with smiles and shrugs, offering no definitive answer.
The President then posed the same question to the club’s general manager, Damien Comolli, who replied, “We have a very good women’s team.” The team recently won the .
In February, Trump signed an restricting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
later expressed surprise at the “weird” exchange. “I was kind of like, I just want to play football … They just told us that we have to go, and I had no choice but to go. So I guess it was a cool experience, obviously being in the White House as a first time… But I’m not one for the politics, so it wasn’t that exciting,” he stated.
The U.S. forward also noted Trump’s comments on the Israel-Iran conflict during the visit.
The President also addressed his dispute with Tucker Carlson regarding the conflict. With the Juventus players standing behind him, Trump said: “I asked Tucker, ‘Are you OK with nuclear weapons being in the hands of Iran?’ and he sort of didn’t like that.”
“Maybe it [the conflict] will end very quickly, but there’s no way that you can allow, whether you fight or not, you can allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon because the entire world will blow up,” Trump added.
, a website run by fans for team news, commented on the meeting, posting on : “Juventus squad in the background as Trump answers questions on Iran….. what a time to be alive.”
Trump has been consistently involved in matters related to the Club World Cup. In March, the President with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Trump also announced a special task force for the , co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Since then, the trophy several times during press conferences and gatherings in the Oval Office, including on working in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
