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The smiles vanished instantly. One simple question from President Trump turned a routine White House photo-op into the most uncomfortable 30 seconds in Oval Office history.
“Could a woman make your team, fellas?”
The Juventus players – including Americans Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie – stood frozen behind the president. Nobody spoke. The silence stretched painfully long.
The Diplomatic Dodge
Only general manager Damien Comolli eventually broke the tension: “We have a very good women’s team.”
Smart answer. Juventus Women are reigning Serie A champions after all.
But Trump wasn’t finished. “They should be playing with women,” he pressed, as Comolli stared at the floor and chose silence over controversy.
“He’s being very diplomatic,” Trump added with a grin.
Star-Studded Audience for Awkward Moment
The Wednesday meeting wasn’t just any soccer gathering. FIFA president Gianni Infantino watched the exchange unfold. So did Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini and head coach Igor Tudor.
All 32 Club World Cup teams are competing across America from June 14 to July 13. Juventus faced Al Ain of the UAE at Washington D.C.’s Audi Field that same evening.
The timing couldn’t have been more pointed.
The Numbers Behind Trump’s Crusade
Trump’s executive order targeting transgender athletes affects a tiny fraction of competitors:
- 500,000+: Total NCAA athletes
- 40: Known transgender athletes in the NCAA
- 2004: The Year the Olympics first allowed transgender competitors
- 2021: First openly transgender Olympic participants
- 2028: Los Angeles Olympics, Trump wants to “change everything” for
That’s roughly 0.008% of college athletes.
Supreme Court Backing on Same Day
Hours before the Juventus visit, the Supreme Court ruled Tennessee can ban gender-affirming care for minors. The timing amplified Trump’s message about “fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes.”
His February executive order directs the Secretary of State to pressure the International Olympic Committee ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
What the Science Says
An October 2023 review of research published in Sports Medicine found no advantage for transgender athletes. The study analyzed data going back to 2017.
Anna Baeth from Athlete Ally, which advocates for LGBTQ equality in sports, provided the NCAA transgender athlete count of roughly 40 nationwide.
The Uncomfortable Truth
The Oval Office moment revealed everything about America’s culture war playing out in sports. Elite athletes are caught between politics and competition. Executives are choosing diplomatic silence over taking sides.
Juventus came to celebrate soccer. Instead, they got a masterclass in navigating American political theater.
The players’ nervous smiles said it all – sometimes the best play is no play at all.
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