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Sports Icon Lionel Messi's Trip To See Donald Trump Gets Kicked Around Online
Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi’s trip to the White House with his Inter Miami teammates drew backlash on social media Thursday.
The visit — held to celebrate the David Beckham-co-owned club’s 2025 MLS Cup title — came just five months after Messi’s great rival, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, also visited the White House, a trip that similarly sparked criticism online.
Watch Trump’s full address here:
Messi, the World Cup winner widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, was accused by critics of being a “sell out” for appearing at the event.
Beckham did not attend the ceremony.
President Donald Trump started his speech, while standing in front of the squad ― which includes players from Honduras, Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, Dominican Republican, Venezuela, Mexico and more ― with an update on the war on Iran.
.@POTUS says Operation Epic Fury is continuing to "totally demolish the enemy — far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 5, 2026
"They have no air force, they have no air defense, all of their airplanes are gone, their communications are gone, missiles… pic.twitter.com/vmusEPVwBB
He made graphic comments about injured people:
Trump with Inter Miami behind him: "When you see somebody walking down the street without their legs, without the arms, whose face is so badly affected and hurt, it mostly came from -- 95% -- Soleimani and Iran" pic.twitter.com/2iUUdWvsv4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2026
Trump also repeated his false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump during White House celebration with Inter Miami: "The election was rigged and stolen" pic.twitter.com/33mY7kUWQv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2026
And he said Cuba would be the next country to undergo regime change.
Trump on Rubio: He's doing some job and your next one, Cuba. We can do them all at the same time but bad things happen, if you watch countries that do them all too fast, bad things happen. pic.twitter.com/ZFZPGnsmhP
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 5, 2026
When the focus turned to soccer, Trump commented on the players’ appearance.
Trump: Do you have any bad looking players? No? I like the bad looking guys much better pic.twitter.com/OTt2L0B2md
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 5, 2026
He also imagined celebrating with them after a win, saying: “What a group of people. We could have a lot of fun with these guys. You can imagine when they win how they celebrate. We don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to talk about it.”
Trump with Inter Miami at the White House: "What a group of people. We could have a lot of fun with these guys. You can imagine when they win how they celebrate. We don't want to talk about it. We don't want to talk about it!" pic.twitter.com/f3KUZ7pT9Q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2026
At another point, Trump impersonated his son — 19-year-old soccer fan Barron Trump — reacting excitedly to Messi’s visit.
President Trump: "Today, we're thrilled to host the 2025 MLS Cup Champions, Inter Miami…It's my distinct privilege to say what no American president has ever had the chance to say before—welcome to the White House, Lionel Messi!" pic.twitter.com/iatxKLkRyS
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 5, 2026
Messi and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas also presented Trump with a “Trump 47” Inter Miami jersey, a soccer ball and a watch etched with Trump’s name and a tribute to him.
.@InterMiamiCF owner Jorge Mas and Lionel Messi present @POTUS with gifts, including a 47 jersey, a watch, and a custom bedazzled soccer ball. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/3UNCx2Oka4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 5, 2026
