By Kavita Mistry 
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was at the White House on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) as President Donald Trump hosted a glitzy dinner to honour Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The soccer star was seated near the front of the East Room, not far from where the President and Crown Prince gave remarks to officials from both nations, along with major business leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Mr. Trump, in his speech, made a point of recognising Ronaldo, whom he said he introduced to his teenage son.
Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi soccer league since joining Saudi club Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 on a reported $200 million-a-year contract.
The 40-year-old Portuguese star signed a two-year extension in June with Al-Nassr, which is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that the crown prince chairs.
MR. Trump thanked the athlete for attending. He said that his youngest son, Barron, is a “big fan” of Ronaldo and the 19-year-old was impressed that he got to meet the soccer player.
Cristiano Ronaldo, centre, attends a dinner with President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.
| Photo Credit:
AP
“Barron got to meet him. And I think he respects his father a little bit more, now, just the fact that I introduced you,” Mr. Trump said.
Prince Mohammed was visiting the White House for the first time since a period of diplomatic isolation began in 2018 after the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in a consulate office in Istanbul. US intelligence agencies determined that Prince Mohammed likely directed the operation. He has denied involvement in the killing.
It was a rare U.S. visit for Ronaldo, who hasn’t played in the country since 2014.
In 2017, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that Ronaldo had years earlier paid $375,000 in hush money to a woman who accused him of raping her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Ronaldo’s lawyers maintained the sex was consensual and no criminal charges ever were filed.
World Cup connection
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, shaped a fast-track bidding process two years ago that helped ensure there was no rival bid.
Ronaldo promoted that bid, saying last December when the Saudi win was confirmed “after what I see, I’m more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever.”
Ronaldo is set to play at a record sixth edition of the World Cup next year after Portugal qualified on Sunday for the tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. However, he likely will be banned by FIFA for Portugal’s first game next June after getting his first red card last week in 23 seasons playing for the national team.
Portugal will learn its World Cup opponents on December 5 at the tournament draw, which Mr. Trump is set to attend at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Mr. Trump has closely aligned himself with the 2026 World Cup. In the Oval Office he has a copy of the golden trophy loaned to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Musk-Trump reconciliation?
Elon Musk also joined the dinner with Mr. Trump at the White House, the second joint public appearance since a bitter public feud earlier this year.
Mr. Musk’s attendance could be a sign of reconciliation in a turbulent relationship between the Tesla CEO and the U.S. President.
Elon Musk sits during a dinner with President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Mr. Musk supported and funded Mr. Trump’s election last year and became a close adviser to his administration early this year, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and overseeing cuts to federal funding and jobs.
But the two soon had a falling out. The billionaire businessman took to social media to attack Mr. Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill as fiscally reckless, and said he planned to create a new political party. Mr. Trump hit back threatening to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Mr. Musk’s companies received from the federal government.
The feud, along with Mr. Musk’s far-right political rhetoric, hurt Tesla’s brand image, sales and stock price, analysts have said.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump have rarely come together publicly since. Mr. Musk was last spotted shaking hands with Mr. Trump at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.