Did Donald Trump play football with Ronaldo in The White House?
In November, US president Donald Trump posted a video where he supposedly played keepy-uppy and did some dribbling with Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. It was captioned: “Ronaldo is a GREAT GUY. Loved meeting him at the White House. Really smart, and cool!!! President DJT”
The post gained 4.9 million likes on Trump’s official Instagram account, but the majority of the comments were about the video being made with AI, even though it wasn’t credited as such.
Firstly, the ball doesn’t seem to have any impact on either Trump or Ronaldo’s bodies. Secondly, the ball’s spin doesn’t match how a football actually moves when kicked. Thirdly, although it has been confirmed that Ronaldo did visit Trump in the White House in November — the reality of them playing football in the Oval Office is low.
This football video seems relatively harmless. However, when we create or share AI videos online without clarifying that they have been created artificially, it could be shared under the assumption that it is genuine. It’s important to remember when watching a video that, if we don’t believe it to be real, sharing it may spread misinformation.
This article was published in December 2025
