Inter Miami's visit to the White House to celebrate their MLS Cup win turned awkward when President Donald Trump began the ceremony with extended comments on US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Goalkeeper Dayne St Clair described the remarks as throwing the team off guard. The squad, including Lionel Messi, stood behind Trump during the speech.
Inter Miami CF, fresh off their MLS Cup triumph last season, visited the White House in Washington DC this week to receive congratulations from President Donald Trump. The event, intended to honor the team's achievements, began with Trump speaking for more than seven minutes about the recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, as well as other interventions including an operation in Venezuela in January.
Canada international Dayne St Clair, who joined Inter Miami in January after six years with Minnesota United, reflected on the moment. "It was definitely a little bit awkward," St Clair told a reporter. "We know we were there to be congratulated for what the team did last year, so the opening remarks of that kind of threw a lot of guys off, because it was supposed to be about the team and winning last year. It was definitely a little awkward to be in the background for that. But at the same time, it’s something that’s out of our control and we didn’t know that was going to be a part of it as well."
St Clair, a 28-year-old who grew up in the Washington metropolitan region, described the White House experience as memorable, noting, "To be inside was definitely an experience, for sure." Although he was not on the team during last season's MLS Cup win, he appreciated the rare opportunity.
After the initial remarks, Trump shifted to football, praising captain Lionel Messi. "Leo claimed the 47th trophy of his incredible career – the most of all time," Trump said of the two-time MLS Most Valuable Player, who joined Inter Miami in 2023. Trump thanked Messi for choosing Miami and added, "You could have gone anywhere in the world – any team in the world – and you chose Miami. I just want to thank you for bringing us all on this ride." He also compared Messi to the late icon Pele, saying, "I don’t know, you may be better than Pele. Pele was pretty good."
The visit followed Inter Miami's recent 2-1 victory over DC United on Saturday, where Messi scored his 899th career goal in front of a record 72,026 fans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Inter Miami sit fourth in the MLS with six points from their first three matches.
