Inter Miami Makes History as First MLS Squad to Score White House Visit Under Trump
Inter Miami is scheduled to make a trip to the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 5, as reported by The Athletic, marking them as the newest American sports franchise to take part in this time-honored custom after capturing the 2025 MLS Cup championship.
Although it has become standard practice for professional and college sports teams to make White House visits, MLS franchises have participated less frequently. The Columbus Crew were the most recent to do so in 2024 during the presidency of Joe Biden.
Miami will make history as the first MLS franchise to visit President Donald Trump during either of his presidential terms.
MLS teams frequently made visits during President Barack Obama's time in office, with seven franchises making the trip, including the 2008 Columbus Crew, '09 Real Salt Lake, '10 Colorado Rapids, '11, '12 and '14 LA Galaxy and '13 Sporting Kansas City.
The Galaxy's 2012 appearance included Miami co-owner David Beckham, who contributed to the California team's '11 MLS Cup victory.
D.C. United became the inaugural MLS team to visit the White House in 1998 to celebrate their '96 and '97 MLS Cup championships, welcomed by President Bill Clinton.
Messi's Potential First White House Visit
Messi's Potential First White House Visit
Lionel Messi may be preparing for his inaugural White House visit, where he would join the ranks of globally recognized athletes who have visited, following Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance in November for a formal dinner event.
This visit comes after the recent, disputed appearance of the United States' men's hockey squad, which claimed the gold medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, receiving recognition in the Oval Office and during the State of the Union speech.
The U.S. women's squad, which also secured gold, received an invitation but declined Trump's invitation, referencing conflicts with athletic and academic commitments, while also addressing remarks made by Trump during a call to the U.S. men's team after their gold medal victory.
Messi, 38, received an invitation to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian distinction, from President Biden in 2024 but could not attend. He joins an exclusive group of just 44 sports personalities to earn this recognition, and was recently accompanied by U.S. hockey goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck, who received acknowledgment in Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday.
Inter Miami will resume MLS competition after the visit when they take on D.C. United on March 7 in nearby Baltimore.