Ronaldo and Musk join Trump’s White House dinner with Saudi prince
Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk were among the high-profile guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump for visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Ronaldo, currently playing for Saudi club Al Nassr — part of the kingdom’s high-spending push to attract global stars despite persistent criticism of its human rights record — was seated near the head of the table shortly before Trump and the crown prince arrived. The 40-year-old forward’s contract with Al Nassr expires this summer.
Trump highlighted Ronaldo’s presence in his pre-dinner remarks, noting that his 19-year-old son Barron, an avid football fan, had the chance to meet the Portuguese star. “I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you,” Trump joked.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended, marking yet another visit to the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host. Ronaldo has said the 2026 tournament — for which Portugal qualified on Sunday — will “definitely” be his last.
Photo: Elon Musk
Joining the guest list was SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, signaling a thaw in his rocky relationship with Trump. Musk previously served five months as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and traveled with Trump to Saudi Arabia in May, but the two fell out in July after Musk criticized Trump’s major spending bill and referenced investigatory files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump later threatened Musk with deportation. At Tuesday’s dinner, Musk — dressed in a tuxedo — was seen speaking with guests at a separate candlelit table.
During the event, Trump praised Mohammed bin Salman as a “man of leadership” and reiterated his earlier defense of the crown prince over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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