Trump Hosts Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince, Praises Ronaldo

During a White House dinner for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Donald Trump lauded soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Trump mentioned his youngest son, Barron, who is a big fan of the Portuguese athlete. This was Ronaldo’s first visit to the U.S. since 2017, a time marked by serious allegations against him by American teacher Kathryn Mayorga.

Barron, 19, has a passion for soccer and, well, he idolizes Ronaldo.

“Barron got to meet him, and I think just the fact that I introduced you makes him respect his father a little bit more,” Trump remarked.

This dinner marked Prince Mohammed’s first trip to the White House following a significant diplomatic freeze that began in 2018 after the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives in Istanbul.

U.S. intelligence suggested that Prince Mohammed likely played a role in the operation, which he has denied.

Earlier in the day, Trump had a tense exchange with reporters about Khashoggi’s death, while bin Salman defended himself by claiming, “I knew nothing about it.”

Ronaldo attended the dinner with his fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, and plays for Al Nasr in Saudi Arabia, where he signed a staggering contract reportedly exceeding $200 million annually in 2022. Interestingly, he hasn’t played in the U.S. since 2014.

In 2017, a report from Der Spiegel claimed that Ronaldo paid $375,000 to settle allegations of rape involving a woman in Las Vegas back in 2009.

Ronaldo’s team asserted that the encounter was consensual and no criminal charges were laid against him.

There’s talk that Ronaldo might return to the U.S. to represent Portugal in the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is slated to host the 2034 World Cup.