Inter Miami are set to visit the White House on Thursday to be honoured as winners of the 2025 MLS Cup, with President Donald Trump due to receive the team. It remains unclear whether Lionel Messi will join his teammates for the ceremony, but the occasion is already laden with political significance, coming at a moment of heightened controversy for the administration.
Trump was not at the White House when the military he commands began bombing Iran over the weekend, nor when American forces kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro weeks earlier; he followed both events from his Mar-a-Lago estate. The visit therefore takes place at a fraught time, even by Trump’s standards. Last week, he appeared with most of the Olympic men’s hockey team, though five players stayed away, while the women’s team, who also won gold, did not attend after Trump made a sexist joke about them.
The traditional White House visit, once a bipartisan ritual, has become a politically charged decision for championship teams. Athletes who go risk being seen as condoning a lawless presidency, while those who stay away open themselves to backlash and threats. Megan Rapinoe famously refused to visit the White House after the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and the Golden State Warriors skipped the ceremony during Trump’s first term despite winning two NBA titles.
More recently, the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles attended without a dozen players, while the NHL’s Florida Panthers have visited twice in 12 months. The NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder have not confirmed plans, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces appear unlikely to go, and the Los Angeles Dodgers will attend despite fan protests. Inter Miami, however, are going, and must now navigate the political quagmire that no sports administrator has yet found a way to avoid.
The decision thrusts players into an ideological battle they may not have sought. Critics argue that sports leagues and executives have failed to provide moral leadership or a discreet solution, leaving athletes to shoulder the burden of a public stance. With or without Messi, Thursday’s ceremony will be interpreted as a statement – one that extends far beyond football.
