President Donald Trump praised the football legend Cristiano Ronaldo at a White House dinner on November 18, 2025, who attended the event alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other high-profile dignitaries from government, business, and sports.
During his dinner speech, Trump quipped about Ronaldo's presence, calling the room “loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world.”
The dinner had drawn a surprising yet massive group of attendees, sparking global attention both for the guest list and Trump’s public comment to Portuguese footballerCristiano Ronaldo.
Donald Trump, while addressing the audience, referred to his youngest son, Barron Trump, saying he was enthusiastic about meeting Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Barron is a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Trump.
Trump quipped that “He (Barron) respects his father a little bit more now,” a comment that sparked laughter from guests, capping a White House visit from Ronaldo that set D.C. abuzz.
Trump thanked Ronaldo directly during his speech, saying, “Thank you for being here, it’s an honor.”
Netizens are sharing their opinions about Cristiano Ronaldo’s surprise visit to the White House and Trump’s remarks about his youngest son, whom he claimed happens to be a Ronaldo fan.
One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Can you imagine every big personality is present at the White House, but Donald Trump mentioned only Cristiano. This is the real definition of AURA.”
“Man turned a diplomatic visit into a global fan meetup,” commented another.
“Gonna be a long time for some people to process this,” added the third user.
Cristiano Ronaldo has called Donald Trump before “one of the guys who can help change the world,” according to a previous interview.
For the unversed, Trump had also referenced Ronaldo in 2018 during his meeting with Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, saying at the time that some consider Ronaldo “the greatest player.”
Alongside Ronaldo and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, numerous key U.S. figures attended the White House dinner, with Melania Trump also in attendance.
Among the prominent guests were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.