Juventus players have expressed discomfort after an unexpected meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House ahead of their Club World Cup match on Wednesday.
The Italian club's squad found themselves in the Oval Office alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, though no official explanation was provided for the gathering.
Players stood behind Trump, who received a Juventus shirt, before the president launched into discussions about transgender athletes and Iran's conflict with Israel rather than football.
The bizarre encounter left several players bewildered, with some speaking out afterwards about the unexpected political nature of what they had assumed would be a football-focused visit.
Juventus players have expressed discomfort after an unexpected meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House ahead of their Club World Cup match on Wednesday
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Timothy Weah, the Juventus winger, has broken his silence about the unexpected White House visit, revealing his surprise at how the afternoon unfolded.
"It was all a surprise to me, honestly - they told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go," Weah said.
The American international admitted feeling uncomfortable when Trump veered into political territory.
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Juventus squad in the background as Trump answers questions on Iran….. what a time to be alive pic.twitter.com/2jGompOJTA
— Juventus News Live (@juvenewslive) June 18, 2025
"When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of like, I just want to play football man," he said.
Weah, whose father George won the Ballon d'Or and served as Liberia's president from 2018 to 2024, described the experience as "a bit weird" and emphasised he's "not one for the politics."
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie found himself in an awkward position during the meeting, shaking Trump's hand despite having previously criticised the president.
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Trump told McKennie and Weah, "I hope you're going to be the best two players on the field" during their interaction.
The handshake came despite McKennie's past comments to German outlet Bild in June 2020, where he stated: "I don't think that Trump is the right one for the job as the president."
The uncomfortable dynamic highlighted the players' difficult position during what they had expected to be a routine promotional visit.
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During the meeting, Trump posed an uncomfortable question to the players: "Could a woman make your team, fellas?"
When general manager Damien Comolli noted that Juventus have a successful women's team who won Serie A last season, Trump responded: "But they should be playing with women," in what appeared to be a reference to transgender athletes.
The president then shifted to discussing Iran, saying: "Could the Iranian regime fall? Anything could happen."
Donald Trump spoke about Iran and transgender players while meeting the Juventus squad
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Trump eventually addressed football, claiming the evening's match was "totally" sold out, with Infantino confirming this claim.
However, the actual attendance was 18,161 - nearly 2,000 below the stadium's 20,000 capacity, continuing a pattern of empty seats throughout the tournament.
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