Lionel Messi went to the White House to celebrate a trophy with Trump, but then he found himself awkwardly nodding along to WW3 plans

Inter Miami delivered a solid overall performance and secured a 2025 MLS Cup. With Lionel Messi onboard, it was the team’s first-ever championship win in Major League Soccer’s season finale. As a result, the team was honored in an official White House event, hosted by President Donald Trump. But similar to Team USA hockey’s congratulatory call, it looks like Inter Miami’s presidential praises have also come under scrutiny due to Trump’s speech.

As reported by UNILAD, the White House event, which was planned to honor the team, took a non-soccer turn when the president’s speech shifted to a discussion of the ongoing war with Iran. But just when Trump went off-topic, Messi’s awkward feedback quickly became a topic of discussion among the audience.

Donald Trump’s initial words were, “We like champions. We like winners,” he set the stage with these comments, mentioned Iran, and continued his rant, saying, “We’re destroying more of Iran’s missiles and drone capability every single hour, knocking them out like nobody thought was possible.” His rant continued, and he ended up praising the US military’s capabilities and how they have managed to take down their air force and the navy.

The president’s speech also mentioned his son and another noteworthy player, Cristiano Ronaldo

Donald Trump, whose own biographer revealed what really happened in the Iran Situation Room meeting, ended his war rant with, “Other than that, they’re doing quite well. I say, what’s left? But they’re tough,” after mentioning that the majority of Iran’s attacking power has been neutralized. Following the war discussion, he revisited the event’s main intent and praised Lionel Messi.

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​Further in the conversation, the president’s son, Barron, was also mentioned as a big fan of the athlete, to which Trump said, “He’s a big fan of yours. He thinks you’re just a great person.” After praising Messi, he also mentioned Ronald, calling him one of the greatest. Well, Trump did make his way back to the actual topic, but Lionel, nodding awkwardly, suggests that it was quite random for the soccer player.

Ronald has also been invited to the White House in November 2025, where he had dinner with Trump, alongside Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, to honor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. So, while both players have their own fan base, it looks like they are in the president’s good books. Regardless, the sudden change of topic in Trump’s speech has given him considerable attention in the soccer scene.