Ronaldo joins Trump’s White House gala dinner
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a dinner at the White House on Tuesday night, taking selfies with guests and receiving praise from the US president.
The Portuguese footballer sat towards the head of the table, alongside his fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, and posed for a picture with Elon Musk, who returned to the building for the first time since leaving the administration.
Ronaldo’s trip to Washington was the first time he had been on US soil since he was accused in 2017 of rape in Las Vegas. He has always denied the claims.
During a speech at the beginning of the meal, the US president commended the gathering of “unbelievable dignitaries”, which included Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the head of Nvidia.
Also in attendance were Melania Trump, the First Lady, Bryson Dechambeau, the American golfer, and JD Vance, the US vice-president, along with several Saudi and US cabinet members.
Mr Trump said that he had introduced the billionaire footballer to his son, Barron, an Arsenal supporter who previously played for DC United’s under-12s team.
“You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo, wherever Ronaldo is here,” the US president said.
“And Barron got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you. So I just want to thank you both for being here. Really an honour.”
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a dinner at the White House on Tuesday night, taking selfies with guests and receiving praise from the US president.
The Portuguese footballer sat towards the head of the table, alongside his fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, and posed for a picture with Elon Musk, who returned to the building for the first time since leaving the administration.
Ronaldo’s trip to Washington was the first time he had been on US soil since he was accused in 2017 of rape in Las Vegas. He has always denied the claims.
During a speech at the beginning of the meal, the US president commended the gathering of “unbelievable dignitaries”, which included Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the head of Nvidia.
Also in attendance were Melania Trump, the First Lady, Bryson Dechambeau, the American golfer, and JD Vance, the US vice-president, along with several Saudi and US cabinet members.
Mr Trump said that he had introduced the billionaire footballer to his son, Barron, an Arsenal supporter who previously played for DC United’s under-12s team.
“You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo, wherever Ronaldo is here,” the US president said.
“And Barron got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you. So I just want to thank you both for being here. Really an honour.”
