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Ronaldo, Musk among high-profile guests at White House in honour of Saudi Prince
Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk were among the high-profile guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in honour of visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, has been one of several veteran stars drawn to the kingdom’s big-money football project despite ongoing criticism of its human rights record.
The 40-year-old forward, whose contract with Al Nassr expires this summer, arrived at the dinner moments before Trump and the crown prince made their entrance, taking a prominent seat near the head of the table.
“You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said in his pre-dinner speech, adding that his soccer-mad son Barron, 19, got to meet the legendary player.
“I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”
Ronaldo was not the only soccer-related dinner guest, as FIFA chief Gianni Infantino made yet another appearance at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting.
Ronaldo says next year’s World Cup, for which Portugal booked their place on Sunday, will “definitely” be his last.
Also at the black-tie dinner was Space X and Tesla tycoon Musk, in a sign that the rift between the president and the world’s richest man has healed after their fiery public divorce.
South African-born Musk spent five months as head of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and accompanied Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia in May.
But the relationship collapsed in July after Musk criticized Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful” spending bill and then said that the president was in investigatory files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump responded by threatening Musk with deportation.
Musk, wearing a tuxedo, was seen chatting to fellow guests at a candlelit table, although a different one from Trump’s.
During the dinner Trump also praised the Saudi prince as a “man of leadership,” having earlier defended his royal visitor over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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