U.S. Soccer Star Breaks Down Awkward Oval Office Visit With Trump: ‘I Just Want to Play Football, Man’

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

American soccer star Timothy Weah wasn’t very excited about having to visit President Donald Trump in the White House earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Weah and several other players from the Italian soccer club Juventus FC met with Trump in the White House. The visit was intended to be a promotional tool for the FIFA Club World Cup — which has top international clubs competing in the tournament as opposed to national teams from across the globe. Juventus was scheduled to play Abu Dhabi club Al Ain FC later that day.

Things quickly became awkward for the players. As they stood behind the president, the lighthearted banter about sports evolved into Trump mulling the idea of joining Israel in its war with Iran.

Following Wednesday’s match, Weah was asked about the experience of visiting the White House. He was less than thrilled.

“It was all a surprise to me, honestly,” Weah told the press. “They just told us that, you know, we have to go and I had no choice but to go, so, showed up.”

Asked if he enjoyed it, Weah unconvincingly responded with, “I guess.”

“It was a cool experience, obviously,” he continued. “I mean, being in the White House as a first time, it’s always wonderful — but, you know, I’m not one for the politics so it wasn’t that exciting.

“Yeah, that was weird. I was caught by surprise. It was a bit weird. I was caught by surprise, honestly, when he started talking about all the politics with Iran and everything. I was kind of like, ‘I just want to play football, man.'”

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