Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire Elon Musk were among the guests at a lavish dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday.
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Ronaldo currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr and is among the high-profile players drawn by Saudi Arabia’s massive spending on international talent. The 40-year-old, whose contract with the club expires at the end of the summer, was seated near Trump’s designated place at the head of the table just seconds before the president and the crown prince entered.
In remarks before the dinner, Trump said, “As you know, my son is a huge fan of Ronaldo,” explaining that his 19-year-old son Barron, who is passionate about football, had the chance to meet the legendary player. Turning to Ronaldo, he added, “I think he respects his father a little more now, just because I introduced him to you.”
Other notable attendees included FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was making another visit to the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States.
Also present was Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, signaling that tensions between him and Trump may have eased. Musk served for five months as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and accompanied Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia in May.
However, their relationship had become strained in July after Musk criticized a spending bill proposed by Trump and remarked that the president had appeared in investigation files related to businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sexual crimes. Trump responded by threatening Musk, who was born in South Africa, with deportation.
Musk was seen wearing formal attire and conversing with other guests at a candlelit table separate from the one where Trump was seated.
AFP
