Inter Miami are set to visit the White House on Thursday to be honoured as 2025 MLS Cup champions, but the ceremony comes at a politically fraught time. President Donald Trump will receive the team, though it remains unclear whether Lionel Messi will attend, according to The Athletic.
The visit places Inter Miami in a familiar dilemma faced by US sports champions: by accepting the invitation, they risk being seen as endorsing a controversial administration; by declining, they invite backlash. This is not a new issue, but it has become more pronounced under Trump, whose recent actions include joking about the Olympic women's hockey team and ordering airstrikes on Iran.
Several teams have navigated this differently. The Philadelphia Eagles visited but without a dozen key players. The Golden State Warriors skipped the White House during Trump's first term. The Las Vegas Aces have not announced plans to go after their 2025 WNBA title. The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to attend despite fan protests.
For Inter Miami, the decision is complicated by the presence of global icon Messi. Whether he attends or not, the team must decide how to handle the political implications. Critics argue that sports administrators have failed to shield players from this ideological battle, leaving them to make a lose-lose choice.
The tradition of White House visits for championship teams was once a bipartisan formality. Now, it forces athletes into a political stance they may not wish to take, as seen with Megan Rapinoe's blunt refusal in 2019. Inter Miami's visit will be closely watched as a barometer of how sports and politics continue to intersect.
